OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The possibility of facing Hurricane Helene’s 120 mph winds was the deciding factor for Brenda Robinson to make her way to Ocala.
She brought her three miniature horses from Wellborn to the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion to shelter safely and be out of harm’s way from the wrath and path of Hurricane Helene. Her friend was able to secure her two stalls.
“I just bought my place a year ago,” says Robinson. “I’ve been through Hurricane Idalia, then a tornado, then Debby and now Helene. I’m in hurricane alley. My yard is oak trees upside down. It’s going to cost me a lot of money to get the trees from the last storm because FEMA doesn’t help you with that. I don’t have insurance on my home. So, when I go back, I hope I have a home.”
The miniature horses who are sheltering at the livestock pavilion have been with her for almost twenty years. She got one when her daughter, Lexus, was just two, and that horse was also two at the time. The other two horses are 25 and 26 years old.
Treasure is a black miniature horse that Robinson bought from a friend. She is the oldest of the three horses. Robinson has purchased horses at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion before.
“They’re in-your-pocket little horses,” says Robinson.
Robinson says the miniature horses have the sweetest dispositions and will just about sit in your lap. Her daughter used to show Dream, the silver bay miniature horse, who was finding the accommodations at the livestock pavilion extremely cozy.
The miniatures accompany Robinson on walks, and they express their joy by jumping and bucking. She says that people stop and think that she might be walking a dog and then realize it’s a horse.
“We’ve been coming to the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion since my daughter was a toddler,” says Robinson. “We used to sit and watch all the auctions in here. We’ve bought horses here, but we’ve never sold any here. We take them out and never bring them back. Once we get a horse, we have them until the day they die.”
Matt Goss and his daughter, Ann Marie, came in from Cross City in Dixie County, arriving the afternoon of Sept. 25, 2024.
“We tried to get ahead of everything,” says Goss. “We brought our dogs and the horses.”
Goss says he noticed Hurricane Helene growing larger and moving quickly. He needed to find a safe place for his horses to avoid the winds expected to exceed 100 mph. The Southeastern Livestock Pavilion provided the shelter he required to wait out the storm, and he was familiar with it.
“The accommodations are great,” says Goss. “We came in last year for Hurricane Idalia. We appreciate them doing it.”
If you are interested in sheltering in a safe, horse-friendly place you can find out more information at the Livestock Pavilion’s website.