Lexington, Ky. – As officials continue to assess the destruction brought on by the fifth-largest wildfire in California’s history, US Equestrian is providing financial assistance to help care for horses impacted by these fires with a $25,000 grant from the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund. The North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG) has been awarded this grant to further support their work in aiding the equestrian community on the ground.

The fire, which is now larger than the city of Los Angeles, has burned through more than 383,000 acres in northern California as of July 30th. Only 34% of the fire is contained as of the writing of this article. 

"One hundred percent of this generous donation from the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund to the NVADG will go towards taking care of horses in our emergency shelter and out in the field,” NVADG said in a statement to US Equestrian. “Our region has a large horse population, and the large and fast-moving Park Fire severely impacted many horses and their owners, along with thousands of other animals. NVADG is truly grateful for the support of US Equestrian and the entire horse community."

Currently any horses that need to be evacuated are being moved by NVADG to the Camelot Equestrian Center. This facility, which is owned by the Mechoopda Tribe, has volunteered the property to be used for housing horses and donkeys. To date, 42 horses have been evacuated to this facility. In addition to the horses at Camelot, there are another 127 horses that have been left at their homes but are under the care of the North Valley group, as the owners had to evacuate. 

Developed in 2005 during the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund helps ensure horses’ safety and well-being in the face of major natural disasters. Since its inception, the fund has received more than $1 million to assist equines of any breed prepare for and/or recover from disasters, which include but are not limited to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards, and fires.

“I am grateful for the work the North Valley Animal Disaster Group is doing in helping the equine population in Northern California. This is not the first time we have awarded a grant to NVADG. They do incredible work on the ground and are great partners when tragedies like the wildfires in Northern California strike,” stated US Equestrian CEO Bill Moroney. “I also want to thank those who have given to the Disaster Relief Fund in the past, which makes a grant like this possible. The equestrian community is always willing to give back in times of need, and I encourage our community at large to consider donating to the fund today so we can continue to help when disasters arise.”

Money donated to the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund is dedicated for the specific purpose of helping in moments of need. Grants are distributed only upon authorization of the US Equestrian Chief Executive Officer.

If you wish to donate, you can visit our website at https://www.usef.org/donate and choose the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund in the dropdown menu.