Kelly Goff, Karina Gonzalez
As wildfires blazed in Canyon Country and Malibu, Pierce College once again became the destination for horses being evacuated from threatened areas.
While horses were arriving in trailer after trailer, the sounds of revelers at the Halloween Harvest Festival and the music from the Persian festival wafted over the area, mixing with the whinnying of frightened horses at the equestrian center Sunday.
For horse owners arriving at the facilities, the response seemed to provide some sense of relief.
Georgeann Erskine evacuated seven horses to Pierce from her Topanga property as the Malibu fire threatened the area.
After locating all seven in stables or corrals, she headed back up to Topanga to get hay for her horses.
“They’re all here, so they’re all safe,” said Erskine.
“This was much easier than the last fire I worked here,” said Donna Lauber, a volunteer with the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control Volunteer Equine Response Team.
“It’s so organized and there are so many volunteers [from Pierce] helping with feeding and mucking stalls. It’s great.”
The center, which has repeatedly been used by the community as an evacuation site for large animals during wild fires, can hold more than 300 horses, and local news and emergency agencies were directing horse owners to the campus as evacuations began Sunday.
By Monday afternoon, 139 horses had been evacuated to the center, along with two donkeys, two goats and a miniature horse.
“We got a call that 20 to 30 more are on their way in, but we haven’t seen them yet,” said Juanna Lamb, also with Animal Control.
In addition to the 18 Animal Control volunteers and four Los Angeles County volunteers, 12 members of Pierce’s Boots and Saddle Club were also on hand Sunday night to assist with the horse evacuation.
“They worked their butts off,” said Linda Howell, also with the volunteer response team, of the Pierce students.
Pierce President Robert Garber, who was near San Francisco at an accreditation meeting when the evacuation began, said that the administration has “worked with the city and county to coordinate their emergency response so that it wouldn’t just be a random evacuation.”
Farm manager Bill Landers said, “this has been a long-standing tradition. It’s a way for us to give back to the community,”
More horses are expected at the facility as wild fires continue to threaten homes in the area. Owners are encouraged to bring their animal’s food and medicine, and should bring their veterinary paperwork when checking in at the facility.
The site will continue operating.
Bob Parsons, 51, a Boots and Saddles member and Pierce College equestrian student, is one of many students who have volunteered their time to care for animals evacuated from the fires. ()