World Champion Roping Horse with the 'Fluffiest' Ears Dies Alongside Another Horse in California Barn Fire
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The Oak Canyon Equestrian Center, a barn in Santa Clarita, California, is mourning the death of two of its horses after an electrical fire ravaged its building last week.
Twenty-foot flames spread across the area where horses were kept, killing Malone, a palomino quarter horse, and Rocky, a black thoroughbred, according to a GoFundMe campaign created by the equestrian center located in the Newhall community of Santa Clarita.
The Jan. 17 blaze also injured three other horses, which are undergoing medical treatment.
"Today was brutal. It was the first time in 30 years I did not want to go to the barn," co-owner Carrie Treadway wrote in a Facebook post the day after the incident.
Carrie co-owns the business with her mother, according to The Signal.
She explained in a separate Facebook post that the fire broke out around 4 a.m. in the stable's tack room. Her neighbor Sean came across it during an early drive to work and woke up Treadway's parents to try to save the horses.
"They managed to empty the barn in under 10 minutes and the fire department was there shortly after and got the fire out quickly," Carrie wrote.
It was too late to save World Series roping champion Malone, and Rocky, who were closest to where the fire originated, she said.
"This will haunt me the rest of my life and I'm just so sorry we couldn't get to you fast enough," she wrote while remembering Malone and Rocky in the post. "You take a piece of my heart to heaven with you. We love you boys so much. My heart aches for their owners and I just keep praying for comfort for them over anything right now."
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The Oak Canyon Equestrian Center remembered Malone on their GoFundMe page as "an invaluable teammate to his owner."
Malone was known as "Little Melons," and was a "'good horse' with a heart of gold and the fluffiest ears who taught so many young riders how to rope," according to the fundraising page.
Rocky "was a beautiful black thoroughbred who left behind his best friend, Tykes, and owners John and Stephanie Blair," the center shared.
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According to the barn's fundraising campaign, all donations will "go towards repairing the damage done to the barn's structure; paying vet bills for the horses injured, and buying new tack and stable supplies; and doing what we can to fill the holes left" by the horses.
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The fire also caused the loss of "expensive equipment, essential supplies, and personal belongings" that included items belonging to youth riders and longtime members of the barn's community, according to the GoFundMe.
"In addition, a large section of the barn's structure was destroyed and needs to be rebuilt to ensure that it is safe for the remaining horses to live in," they said.
More than $32,000 of the $100,000 goal has been raised as of Wednesday night.
"This is a barn family and a community stricken by the most unimaginable tragedy that now needs to rebuild, recover and remember those who were lost," the GoFundMe states. "We appreciate any help that you can give us so that Oak Canyon can continue to be a welcoming place where riders of any age and ability can fulfill their equestrian dreams, and a safe home for the horses that we all love and nurture."
