Photo: gofundme
The Oak Canyon Equestrian Center, a barn in Santa Clarita, California, is mourning the death of two of its horses after an electrical fire ravaged its building last week.
The Jan. 17 blaze also injured three other horses, which are undergoing medical treatment.
“Today was brutal. It was the first time in 30 years I did not want to go to the barn,” co-owner Carrie Treadway wrote in a Facebook postthe day after the incident.
Carrieco-owns the businesswith her mother, according toThe Signal.
Sheexplained in a separate Facebook postthat the fire broke out around 4 a.m. in the stable’s tack room. Her neighbor Sean came across it during an early drive to work and woke up Treadway’s parents to try to save the horses.
“They managed to empty the barn in under 10 minutes and the fire department was there shortly after and got the fire out quickly,” Carrie wrote.
It was too late to save World Series roping champion Malone, and Rocky, who were closest to where the fire originated, she said.
“This will haunt me the rest of my life and I’m just so sorry we couldn’t get to you fast enough,” she wrote while remembering Malone and Rocky in the post. “You take a piece of my heart to heaven with you. We love you boys so much. My heart aches for their owners and I just keep praying for comfort for them over anything right now.”
The Oak Canyon Equestrian Center remembered Malone on their GoFundMe page as “an invaluable teammate to his owner.”
Malone was known as “Little Melons,” and was a “‘good horse’ with a heart of gold and the fluffiest ears who taught so many young riders how to rope,” according to the fundraising page.
Rocky “was a beautiful black thoroughbred who left behind his best friend, Tykes, and owners John and Stephanie Blair,” the center shared.
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The fire also caused the loss of “expensive equipment, essential supplies, and personal belongings” that included items belonging to youth riders and longtime members of the barn’s community, according to the GoFundMe.
“In addition, a large section of the barn’s structure was destroyed and needs to be rebuilt to ensure that it is safe for the remaining horses to live in,” they said.
More than $32,000 of the $100,000 goal has been raised as of Wednesday night.
source: people.com
