A Michigan barn fire that occurred during the early morning hours of Saturday, April 8 has claimed the lives of 13 horses.
Fire was reported at roughly 2:10 a.m. at The Barn for Equine Learning, which is located in the 3200 block of Timpson, Avenue SE, located in Lowell Township, just outside of Grand Rapids. According to the business’ website, the not-for-profit organization provides youth and adults the opportunity to discover new experiences, challenge themselves, and grow through the healing power of horses in a therapeutic setting. The Barn’s horses also spent time with the students in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) programs.
"They gave so many kids their first rides, they gave a lot of people hope, a lot of people in need a way to reach out and connect with versus traditional counseling and therapy and these horses opened so many doors, they were giants for what they did and how they opened," said Kay Welton, The Barn’s founder.
Officials with the organization released a statement after the blaze, explaining that The Barn, “suffered a tragedy on April 8. We lost our barn and 13 of our wonderful horses to a fire. This information is so hard for us to process and it still feels like a bad dream at this point. We know that this is going to be challenging for every person who The Barn and the horses have meant something to. However, as is so often the case with each person who comes out to The Barn, we recognize that any tragedy and challenge can be overcome. We are not yet sure what the road to rebuilding will look like at this point, but we know that The Barn meant so much to so many people, and like any challenge we have met before, we will walk through this trial step by step and continue to fulfill our mission of reaching people wherever they are at in their lives.’
A follow-up report on the situation states that a 12-stall barn was destroyed and 13 of the 15 horses that were on the property lost their lives. The two horses that survived were new additions to the property. Fire investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of the horses and The Barn for their loss.
(With files from Michigan Live and WZZM 13)