‘We’re kind of crippled across the board’
Fate of Hannon barn at ‘crossroads,’ struggling to keep horses fed
Even with the barn doors of Golden Gate Equestrian closed, the costs for owner AJ McCoy have not subsided.
With COVID-19 having halted all riding lessons since March 18, McCoy has watched nearly his entire stable’s income disappear.
Two months into the provincial lockdown, the fate of the Golf Club Road barn is at a “crossroads.”
“We don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to sustain (ourselves),” McCoy said.
Even with no riders in the stables, McCoy estimates between hay, grain, labour, veterinary and blacksmith services, it costs $25,000 to $30,000 each month to maintain the barn and its 34 horses.
“Our cost is the same today as it was four months ago,” McCoy said. “The horses eat the same amount, if they’re working or not.”
To help offset costs, McCoy launched a GoFundMe in early April. Just this past week, the organization surpassed its $10,000 goal.
“But, that only kept the horses fed for half a month,” McCoy said. “We’ve sacrificed everything we can on our end.”
Barns such as McCoy’s were not included in Phase 1 of the province’s plan to reopen some businesses and leisure services announced May 14. McCoy said the guidelines include boarding barns, not riding schools.
To run their camps and lessons, riders “tack up” the horse inside the barn, deeming them indoor recreation and therefore excluding them from the first step of reopening the province.
On Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced that summer day camps — both indoor and outdoor — may be permitted “assuming trends in key public health indicators continue to improve.”
With that not certain, McCoy is still worried about the fate of the camps — another deciding factor of Golden Gate Equestrian’s financial viability.
“Right now, we’re kind of crippled across the board,” he said.
“The horses will eat before I will.”
With no opening date in sight, McCoy has increased his fundraising goal in hopes of weathering the pandemic and being able to reopen to the community. As of Tuesday, the new goal was $15,000.
Throughout the year, McCoy hosts the Children’s Aid Society as well as hundreds of families in the region.
In its eight years open, McCoy said the barn has become a safe place for the students that make their way through their programs.
“We create confidence and self-worth,” McCoy said. “If we leave, there aren’t many of us out there in the first place.”