OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The World Equestrian Center has confirmed that its stalls are full of evacuated equines, sharing that it has no vacancies left.
Original story, 9.24.24, at 5:41 p.m.: Severe weather doesn’t only affect humans, their equine counterparts should also be able to find safety.
The World Equestrian Center (WEC) has once again opened its doors so the region’s horses can shelter safely, and away from the impending impact of Tropical Storm Helene, which is expected to become Hurricane Helene and make landfall in Marion County Thursday morning.
“We’re blessed to have this facility that allows us to open our doors to evacuees,” says Leah Tong, WEC director for marketing and brand. “We are welcoming equine evacuees and their owners to the property. Those doors are going to open tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.”
As of Tuesday morning, there were already between 700 and 800 stalls reserved. The stalls are limited, and people are encouraged to email, hurricanestalls@wec.net, to make reservations or if they have questions.
“We are prepared to welcome them and allow them to shelter until that storm passes over,” says Tong. “The stalls are on a first come, first serve basis. It’s limited because there is a horse show scheduled for this weekend. We haven’t made a determination on that yet. So, some of those horses can still come to the property based on what the situation is, and what the timeline of the storm ends up being.”