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Photo by Skip Lawrence
High winds tore the roof off one of the barns at the HorseNet horse rescue farm near Mount Airy on Saturday. |
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Mount Airy -- Fierce winds Saturday night blew off part of a barn roof sheltering two elderly, blind horses living at a horse rescue on Mattie Haines Road.The horses were not injured, and have been moved to a smaller shelter, but the metal roof is stuck in mud in a field near the barn, said Elle Williams, founder and director of HorseNet Horse Rescue. A 12- by -16 foot section of roof ripped off during the storm, which brought high winds and heavy rain to the area. Williams said the horses were calm when a volunteer discovered the barn roof was missing about 8 p.m. that evening. She is not sure whether the rescue will need to replace the roof or whether the property owner's insurance will cover the loss. HorseNet is an all-volunteer organization that survives on donations. Most of the horses in the care of the rescue are older. The two horses were Splendor, a 41-year-old thoroughbred, and Bandit, a 20-something appaloosa who, although blind, acts as Splendor's eyes and leads the older horse around. "They're pretty tough," Williams said. "It must have sounded like a train coming down through the roof." The horses now have a small shelter. "It's not optimal, but they are protected," she said. Another section of the barn roof landed in a field where other blind horses live, but the horses stayed away from the obstacle. The horses are blind, but seem to have a sixth sense about avoiding unusual obstacles, Williams said. Williams said if the rescue needs to replace the roof, she will have to raise money to pay for the repairs. All the money in the rescue goes to pay for food and care for the horses. HorseNet has been a non-profit rescue for eight years. The organization has 100 horses. The rescue rents 100 acres on three farms around Mount Airy . Williams lives in Westminster. HorseNet specializes in older horses and horses that have been abused, neglected, starved or retired from racing, lessons or other type of work. The rescue is full at this time and is only accepting new horses in an emergency. HorseNet's website is www.horsenethorserescue.org.
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