How Volunteers Helped Save 55 Horses from the Creek Fire

“I never left the barn until late that night.”

The devastating fires that threatened or destroyed homes in Southern California over the last week also took a major toll on farms and stables scattering our rural areas. As a result, many horse owners were forced to find temporary shelters, not only for themselves, but their beloved animals as well.

Thanks to the generosity and hard work of volunteers, 55 horses affected by the Creek Fire near Sylmar were successfully relocated to a portion of Hahamongna Watershed Park near La Cañada High School.

According to a story that ran in the Los Angeles Times, “Of those, about 48 were accommodated on site, staying in makeshift pens and stables until evacuation orders were lifted two days later, according to Ariel Wisch-Schute, stable manager for Rose Bowl Riders. The last rescued horse left the site on Sunday.

“Wisch-Schute said the facility has been known to take in a few horses whenever nearby areas are threatened or animals need to be evacuated, but it has never before undertaken such an enormous effort. In a single day, the Rose Bowl Riders’ usual 45-horse occupancy more than doubled.

‘I got the first few calls in the morning. I thought it would be the same routine,’ the stable manager said in an interview this week. ‘I never left the barn until late that night.’”

Read about the courageous effort here.