The owner of the Luton Training Center in Williamston, Michigan has started a GoFundMe page after a tornado ripped through her property, destroying the hay barn and paddocks. But the scariest aspect of the life-threatening storm was the two horses – Lacey and Chili – who went missing after the tornado.
A Detroit Free Press post shows Lacey being walked back home.
Owner Lisa Luton-Hodges explained to a local news station (watch video here) that fortunately the animals were located. One horse was found trapped under a run-in shed, and another was found three-quarters of a mile away in a cornfield. Both animals had minor injuries but are recovering. The horses in her main barn were safe and sound.
But the property damage is extensive. Volunteers arrived to help clean up the site, but the training center needs a major injection of funds to rebuild. Luton writes on her fundraising page: “On the evening of Thursday, August 24, 2023 our farm suffered a direct hit from a EF2 tornado. Our hay/storage barn was completely destroyed, and most of our paddock area suffered significant damage or was destroyed. Two of our horses, Lacey and Chili, were injured in the storm. Their survival is a miracle! Your support will be used to treat the horses, rebuild paddocks and other fencing, clear debris to make the paddock areas safe again, and create a new storage space lost with the destruction of the hay barn. The hay barn was uninsurable due to previous fire damage 20 years ago.”
If you’re interested in helping the Luton Training Center, you can donate here.