Storms Damage Multiple Kentucky Horse Farms

Thunderstorms and tornadoes that hammered portions of Kentucky April 2, weakening or destroying some homes, also damaged structures of several Kentucky horse farms.

Hidden Rose Farm, a Paris, Ky., farm that boards, hosts camps for children, and provides services for jumpers, hunters, and dressage horses, was ravaged by a Tuesday morning storm that tore through the area. Buildings and fencing were destroyed, and a few horses were injured among the approximately 45 residing there, according to farm owner and barn manager Chelsea Sherman. No people were injured, she said.

According to social media and online reports, barns at Ledgelands Farm, Polo Green Stable, and Waugh Livestock Sales in Kentucky were also damaged.

Sherman described a chaotic scene during the storm in which horse trailers were thrown into the side of a barn on the property before an entire indoor arena collapsed. Sherman said she and other farm workers, taking refuge in a horse stall of a barn, saw the roof "coming off."

Fleeing that barn and checking to see if her mother was safe in another part of the farm, she said, "We just kind of watched the rest of the farm fall and blow away in front of us. And then we just kind of jumped out, and you just go into emergency mode, catching all the injured horses. Every field and pasture on our property had a hole in it."

Sherman, reached April 3, expressed her appreciation for the outpouring of support she has received from the equine community, which includes veterinarians and fellow farm owners and workers, including some involved in Thoroughbred racehorse breeding. Volunteers were out in force Wednesday, delivering supplies and working to rebuild the property. More than 100 people were at the farm Wednesday, Sherman said.

She said veterinarian Dr. Mallory Myers from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute donated her time stitching up horses on Tuesday, and that Park Equine was not charging for its veterinary services, including surgery on a pony named Kokoro, who injured a tendon and ligament.

Sherman said a couple of barns at Hidden Rose Farm were damaged but survived the storm, as did her house. 

A GoFundMe fundraiser, organized by equine photographer Laura Palazzolo and Thoroughbred breeder and consignor Carrie Brogden to help Hidden Rose Farm rebuild, had generated more than $46,000 in donations by 11 a.m. ET Wednesday.

Another GoFundMe fundraiser is aimed at assisting the Waugh family of Waugh Livestock Sales.

-This story has been updated with additional reports of damaged farms.