Yvette Sparks didn’t have to watch the news, playing scenes of endless devastation to the Southeast, to know that Hurricane Helene had upended entire communities in just a few hours. In her own home, she was housing evacuated family members, and Sparks’ sister had just received word that her house had been leveled by a tornado. 

Sparks, who is the district commissioner of Sandhills Pony Club in Pinebluff, North Carolina, wasn’t sure what else she could do to help those impacted by the disaster when her phone rang. A parent of a pony club kid was on the end of the line.

“I got a phone call from one of our parents—it was right after the devastation happened—and one of her kids came to her and said, ‘Those horses are going to need hay,’ ” Sparks said. “That’s how we started: hay for horses.” 

That young rider’s question about feeding hungry horses moved Sandhills Pony Club into action. They made a goal to raise money for just one truckload of hay for horse owners in western North Carolina, where severe flooding had wiped away roads and devastated the infrastructure. The goal seemed nearly impossible: Sparks calculated that they’d need to raise about $9,000. Then, there was the task of transporting the fundraised hay to those who needed it on the other side of the state. 

After making a post on Facebook, donations trickled in. Sparks continuously updated the fundraiser with the new total and made new requests, and her vigilance paid off. She was impressed that they’d been able to raise a few hundred dollars on the first day. On the second day of the fundraiser, when her daughter asked her to go on a trail ride, Sparks decided she could use a break from her device. A few hours later, she returned to her phone and couldn’t believe the incoming notifications. 

“It was a total of three hours that I put my phone down,” Sparks said. 

And in that short time, the fundraiser had snowballed. The post had been widely shared, and the pony club had received thousands of dollars in donations in just a few hours. Sparks realized that the impossible hayload was looking a lot more likely. 

“That was when things got real,” she said. 

After the fundraiser hit its goal, Sparks bought the hay and coordinated a caravan of parent volunteers to drive the donated bales from Pinebluff, in the middle of the state, to western North Carolina. She gets emotional when she thinks of that first supply run. The barn manager who received the donation sent her a thank-you video of the life-saving delivery coming onto the property. 

Although it’s been two and a half weeks since Hurricane Helene hit the region, that first hay delivery feels like a lifetime ago. In a short time, the pony club has expanded its efforts, even acquiring the use of a Chinook cargo helicopter to deliver large loads of hay. Sparks now has hay distributors and feed suppliers on speed dial. She negotiated a recent effort to bring in about 1,400 bales of alfalfa, orchard and grass hay at a deep discount. But that first convoy was invaluable, both in solidifying the pony club’s mission and as a learning experience for the Sandhills team. 

“The first caravan that we sent out, we sent them out at 2 p.m. and they didn’t come back until 4 a.m.,” she said. “We said, ‘We can’t do this again. We’ve got to think bigger.’ ”

The group had navigated road closures, gas shortages and unlit roads and highways through towns that hadn’t yet regained power. Since then, they’ve found that the safest way to transport hay is by air, 18-wheeler or stock trailer, and then have locals distribute the bales by ATV, pack mules and trucks. The team works with officials to get supplies into an area in ways that will not to add to congestion on the damaged roads or hamper life-saving efforts. 

Recently, Sparks was asked to add dog food to the pony club’s fundraising requests. She found that the same horse community that has been donating to supply horse feed quickly stepped up to support canines as well. 

“The humans come first,” Sparks said. “The human efforts are above all, and I am praying for them daily. I know that there are people out there moving mountains to find those people that have been missing and to take care of them.” 

Sparks has hardly rested since she found herself suddenly spearheading these relief efforts, but when she does have a moment of pause, she’s filled with gratitude for the community that has supported North Carolinians going through every horse owner’s worst nightmare.

“You can move horse people,” Sparks said. “Oh my gosh, you can move horse people.”

Eventer Uses Aviation Hobby To Deliver Aid

The devastation to the transportation infrastructure has been one of the biggest challenges to relief efforts in Asheville, North Carolina, and nearby towns. Flash floods have washed out asphalt, downed trees and collapsed bridges. Thick mud has made many roads impassable, stranding survivors and cutting off entire regions from aid. 

In these kinds of disasters, private plane owners often play an invaluable role in delivering supplies. Eventer Doug Payne, who earned his pilot’s license about 10 years ago, was quick to accept his friend Bob Wall’s invite to join him on a delivery mission to western North Carolina. Wall, who owns Payne’s previous four-star mount Getaway, had experience volunteering with disaster relief organizations including Operation Airdrop and Carolina Aviators Network.  

Together, the two pilots flew loads of supplies over devastated roads and radically changed landscapes, landing at small regional airports that had become makeshift distribution centers. 

“They have a pretty well-oiled machine now,” Payne said. “Primarily, we’re flying out of Statesville [North Carolina]. They’ve got basically just a line of people out the door dropping supplies off. … They had people drop it off on one side, and an army of volunteers that were weighing everything.” 

After loading their plane to its weight limit, Payne and Wall flew the supplies, including water, baby food, fuel and medicine, in as many trips as they could manage during daylight hours (many of the airports hadn’t regained power to accommodate nighttime takeoffs and landings). The pair totaled seven flights that early October day. 

“The general aviation community is quick to jump together,” he said. “I’ve never seen a busier non-towered field ever. I mean, we were probably anywhere from five to 10 planes on the lineup to take off. And there are that many in the air looking to land.”

While the human need was primary, Payne and Wall also had a soft spot for horse owners in need. When Bob’s wife, Lisa Wall, read about a barn owner with 20 horses and nothing to feed them, the two pilots coordinated a special relief mission, picking up 20 bales of hay and enlisting a skydiving plane. The anatomy of the plane, with its large cargo doors, allowed them to toss the bales mid-flight directly onto the farm.

“These guys, the skydivers, were awesome,” Payne said. “One guy strapped the harness on, and they just flew low over [the farm] and threw hay out the window. It took a couple of tries. He lost two bales in the river, but once they got the aim dialed in, they were able to deliver the rest.” 

Fleet Of Angels Stays For The Long Haul 

Elaine Nash, founder of Fleet of Angels, is no stranger to disaster. Since 2012, the organization has supported communities impacted by equine-related emergencies. But even with all her experience coordinating, the damage caused by Hurricane Helene last week has struck a new chord. 

“It’s catastrophic, apocalyptic,” she said. “There are all these words that were always an exaggeration before, and now they’re real.”

The organization operates by coordinating donations of both dollar donations and supplies. The U.S. Equestrian Federation is among its donors, announcing last week that it has contributed $25,000 to the organization through the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund. Fleet of Angels also manages a general fund that can be tapped by horse owners and small rescues that apply for grants. Nash says she is currently reviewing 50 grant applications related to hurricane damage and will approve all that she can. Their mission is that, in times of unimaginable loss, horses are able to stay with their owners.

“We want people to know about us,” Nash said. “We want anyone who’s suffering and struggling to take care of their horses to let us know so we can help them get through this, so those horses can stay with their families in good care. The families need their horses at that time.” 

Nash says that she receives about 200-300 daily emails, her inbox overwhelmed with both requests, and often, offers of donations.

“I’m standing on the tarmac with my flags, waving them around, getting everybody in the direction they need to go,” Nash said, comparing her work coordinating donations to directing planes. 

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Nash has received gracious offers from people eager to help, and her goal is to bring that generosity to fruition. One day she might have a donation of transport, but no supplies; days later, she gets a donation of supplies with no way to transport. Nash uses her wide network, developed over more than a decade, to connect those dots and utilize every offer, every willing volunteer and every donation—whatever the size. 

“We’re so grateful for every donor dollar, and we try really hard to be really responsible with that,” she said. “I value a person’s $2-a-month donation as much as I value the big ones, because I know they’re caring and want to help, and they’re doing their best to help.”

For Nash, the important piece is being able to tell communities that Fleet of Angels is there to support them in the long term, not for the duration of a media cycle. 

“We stay for the long haul,” she said. “We may still be helping a year from now. Because what happens is, when something first happens, everybody comes running to help, but as soon as there’s the next new thing, they’re gone. And people can feel really hurt and abandoned.

“It’s like, ‘Well, now what do we do?’ Nash continued. “We’re the ‘now what?’ solution. We keep helping people. Usually it can be up to a year until they get on their feet and can find long term solutions for taking care of their horses.”

“We stay for the long haul. We may still be helping a year from now. Because what happens is, when something first happens, everybody comes running to help, but as soon as there’s the next new thing, they’re gone. And people can feel really hurt and abandoned.”

Elaine Nash, Fleet of Angels

To learn more about how you can donate or volunteer to help horse communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, consider these organizations:

• Sandhills Pony Club continues to update their ongoing fundraising efforts in support of Hurricane Helene survivors at their Facebook page. 
• Civilian pilots are organizing Hurricane Helene relief efforts through Operation Airdrop and Carolina Aviators Network. 
• See how Fleet of Angels is supporting horse communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton at its website.  
• The Equestrian Aid Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund invites horse owners impacted by either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton to apply for emergency financial grants to help cover basic and essential living expenses. You can donate in support of this fund here. 
• Tryon International Equestrian Center, in Tryon, North Carolina, is coordinating volunteers and supply drives. Reach out to learn more about how to offer equine housing, transport or donations.