Equestrian fans have a definite claim to be considered as animal lovers. This is because, in this sport, an athlete must share a relationship of cooperation and trust with his horse to ride his way to victory. Thus, many stables are created solely for the purpose of caring for these mammals. However, sometimes these places could be the main place of danger, too.

In a harrowing incident, Westmoreland County in Pittsburgh was caught on fire, posing a threat to many civilian and animal lives on October 12th. The visuals that came out of the place were heavily concerning, as the fire seemed to have gone on for more than seven hours. In these situations, the businesses that are the ones to get affected lose a lot of their products, which hurts them in the long run. A similar situation seems to have taken place here.

An employee of Equestrian Barn shares heartbreaking developments from the ordeal

The reporter of Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke to one of the employees in the barn. While she didn’t want to be filmed on camera, she admitted that “the barn has now lost all of its Windsor Hay.” This is a tragic development, as it puts a lot of people’s financial security at risk. It could take years to redevelop the whole thing, which was built with a lot of care. However, the thing that caused so much fire was the hay itself.

The department was called after 3 pm when people in the area realized that huge smoke was engulfing the surroundings. Soon, they realized that this was a massive fire that needed to be tamed. While the flames were initially controlled, they were ignited once again because of the hay.

Thankfully, according to Hemsfield Township Fire Department Chief Ben Rudd, no lives were lost. He said, “That’s your first thought is, you know the horses in Equestrian Center, and they already had the horses out in a safe place, and they’re good to go.” But the whole incident has caused significant damage to the business, which could take a lot of time to recover. The state fire marshal is all set to investigate the whole thing. The whole situation puts a dark cloud on the equestrian community, as questions could be raised on the safety of the horses. However, the community has done more good for the protection of the mammals than harm. This was proven during the recent hurricane in Florida.

The equestrian community came together to protect horses during hurricane

Hurricane Helene was a vastly threatening disaster that took place in Florida in September. The state is known for its huge pastures and equestrian enthusiasts. However, with a large number of horses in the area, people were worried about the well-being of the animals and scurried for shelter every place they got. Suddenly, owners realized that they were struggling to find the correct shelter for their horses, putting their lives at risk. But that’s when the World Equestrian Center (WEC) stepped up.

The WEC, the largest equestrian facility in the area with 378 acres, opened its doors to about 1,200 horses on September 25th as a hurricane approached. Remarkably, they did not charge anything, offering this refuge purely for the well-being of the horses. It was an incredible gesture by the center. This wasn’t the first time they’ve extended such help either—WEC also opened their gates during Hurricane Ian in 2022. As a result, the center is known as one of the best for ensuring the safety and care of horses. This act exemplifies the empathy within the equestrian community for its animals.