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As many in the northeast may have already heard, longtime Arabian
trainer and breeder Randy Stoneback suffered a devastating loss
after a barn fire at his Pennsylvania facility claimed the lives of
eight training horses, two of whom had just recently won National
Championships at Sport Horse Nationals, and virtually all of the
farm equipment, including trailer, tractors, spreaders, tack and
hay. The fire, believed to have been electrical in nature, started
at approximately 4:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, and so quickly
engulfed the building that the Stonebacks were able to get to only a
few horses in that barn. The facility is comprised of several
different barns, so over fifty stalls, and many more horses, still
remain at the farm, but virtually all of their equipment and hay
perished in the fire.
Randy and his
family have been breeding Arabian horses for over fifty years, and
Randy has been a professional trainer in Pennsylvania his whole
life. Randy’s parents, Dr. Stoneback and his wife, Marge, are
long-time fixtures on the East Coast Arabian horse scene, and had
just recently moved back in with Randy due to health problems. Both
the doctor and his wife are currently hospitalized, and have not yet
been informed of the accident.
Obviously, there
are many items needed immediately to continue the operations at the
farm while they recover from this accident, as well as to replace
much of the equipment. Friends who would like to help are welcome
to send a tax deductible contribution to The Arabian Horsemen’s
Distress Fund, with a notation on the check that the funds are to be
earmarked for the Stonebacks. The fund is a separate, restricted
fund with 501c3 charitable status, managed by a five person board,
and the family will be sent notification of all who have donated.
The address to
send donations, with a note earmarking that they be directed towards
Stonebacks, is
The
Arabian Horsemen’s Distress Fund
236 Henry
Sanford Road
Bridgewater, CT
06752
If you would
prefer to donate by credit card on line, simply go to
http://www.horsemensdistressfund.com/how-you-can-help/index.html,
where you will find a button that says Make A Donation, which will
take you to a secure Paypal site where you can make your donation,
after which you can send an e-mail to
mary@horsemensdistressfund.com to note that you would like to
earmark it for Stonebacks.
During these
times when the worst happens, the best and saving grace is to
experience the strong sense of community that surrounds our Arabian
horse world. If you would like to send a personal message, the
address is:
Randy Stoneback
127 Tripps Lane
Strattanville, PA 16258.
Sincerely,
Mary
Trowbridge
The Arabian
Horsemen’s Distress Fund
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