Julie Parsons was leading the last of her horses to the barn when she heard an ear-shattering scream.
She spun around and saw one of the nearby barns completely engulfed in flames, and her horrified neighbour frozen in panic.
“It’s the worst nightmare a farmer could ever have,” said Parsons, who runs Perfectly Stable Farms, a horse riding program for underprivileged and developmentally delayed kids.
The barn was completely destroyed by the devastating March 20 blaze that quickly tore through the huge wooden structure of the Bradford farm she was leasing.
Fortunately, the 30 horses on the farm were saved, though obviously traumatized by the ordeal, Parsons said.
“Thirteen of my horses and my neighbours’ were all out in the field and they were all really nervous with all the chaos around, we had to try our hardest to keep them calm,” she said.
But Parson’s nightmare looks set to have a happy ending thanks to the generosity of the equine community and an unexpected gift of a massive $60,000 barn from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).
The 40 x 80 sq. ft. Oshawa barn is a part of the storied Windfields Farm, the birthplace of Northern Dancer, one of Canada’s most illustrious thoroughbreds and a winner of the Kentucky Derby. A huge part of the estate was bought by UOIT around 2009 and was on the verge of demolition.
Brett Maynard was supposed to lead the demolition until he watched Parson’s tragedy unfold on TV.
“It struck a cord with me because they mentioned kids with learning disabilities and how much they rely on this program,” said Maynard, who owns Bored Barn, a company that salvages parts from old wooden barns for resale. “I immediately grabbed my laptop and tried to find a way to reach Julie.”
Maynard calls the arrangement a “win-win solution for Julie, the horse community and UOIT” as the school has been under fire for the state of disrepair the farm has fallen into. Members of the equine community have been demanding UOIT restore Windfields Farm and open it to the public.
The barn will be taken down piece-by-piece and transported to the new location Parson finds. However, without enough funds, finding a new place has proven to be a challenge.
“I was always a barn rat and to have someone offer me a part of Windfields is a dream come true,” Parson said. “But we just haven’t raised enough money to get new land.”
Parsons has asked land development corporations if she can purchase 25 acres below market value but has not had any luck.
With the help of her nephew, she also started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $20,000 in donations. As of Monday evening, they have raised $4,302 and are 36 days away from the end of the funding campaign.
Parents like Cindy Heavener, whose autistic son Eric Janowicz, 20, has been visiting the farm twice a week for the last three years, have been volunteering their time to help out with the program.
“Perfectly Stable Farms has made such a big difference in Eric’s life and not having this program is going to leave a huge hole in his life,” Heavener said. “I would hate to see it go.”
Originally published by The Toronto Star
