A local riding center in Guilderland loses thousands of dollars of equipment following fire
A local riding center in Guilderland says everything in the barn is a “complete loss” following a fire this past Thursday.
The center is called the Albany Therapeutic Riding Center was going about a normal evening when instructor Kate Carlson-Herba noticed smoke and flames inside one of the barns.
“By the time I had already come back out the door, like, there was like, flames shooting out, the sides of the barn. I just was like, okay, let’s get the horses,” Kate said.
Kate rushed all of the animals out of the area to safety preventing any injuries from anyone.
The center said the Guilderland Center Fire Department arrived at the scene within minutes and was fighting the fire along with mutual aid for more than three hours.
The barn had thousands of dollars of equipment including six months’ worth of hay, horse blankets, saddles, tools, and more. The center said that none of this equipment was able to be saved with it being worth thousands of dollars.
“It could be up to like 200 to $500,000,” said the center’s executive director Taylor Huntley.
Taylor said the farm is currently closed as a result of the fire and is not sure when they can reopen.
“More people have been asking us how they can help, you know, the amount of people who have reached out saying, how can we help you? Do you need, hey, do you need money?” Taylor said.
The center has said up a Go Fund Me Page for anyone who wishes to donate to the center.
The cause of the fire is still not yet known.