A wildfire still under investigation in Little Valley, Nevada has cost at least one equestrian business their livelihood after their barn and equipment were reduced to rubble this weekend. Breakaway Farms, a hunter/jumper barn operated by Ashley and Hayley Bowen, has lost their barn, equipment and feed for the year. They were able to move fifteen of their horses off the property in the evacuation period, but could not catch a valuable homebred colt that is presumed dead.
The Bowens also have a residence on the property, but the family still does not know if the home survived the fire or not.
Altogether 22 homes have burned in the disaster, and as of this morning, the fire was 55% contained thanks to hardworking firefighter teams and heavy storms overnight and Sunday. Officials warn that there are still hot spots, and homeowners are not being allowed back into their properties as of the time of publication.
There are numerous equestrian facilities in the area including Franktown Meadows, Meadow View Farms, Dream Catcher Andalusions and Remolino Ranch, to name a few. We know most if not all of these facilities evacuated their horses successfully, and are awaiting news of their infrastructure.
There are stories emerging of boarding facilities trying to decide which horses to take first in the middle of the night, completely unsure of how many trips they’d be able to take before they would be cut off by officials or flames.
There are also heroic tales of barn managers walking horses down two lane highways in the dark for miles with multiple horses in hand to find them a safe harbor. Horsemen in the area have opened up their barns and homes to dozens of animals and people in need with virtually no notice, and as usual, humanity and compassion are the silver lining to any terrible disaster.
If you would like to help, a GoFundMe campaign has been established for Breakaway Farms.
You can track all the fire updates at the Sierra Front Interacgency Dispatch Center Website.
*Standard Disclaimer: Jumper Nation has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the GoFundMeaccount nor does Jumper Nation assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.