When Amber Bauman pulled into her driveway after attending an Illinois Hunter Jumper Association awards banquet with her husband Tyson and daughter Alexis on Nov. 22, she witnessed every farm owner’s worst nightmare: her barn was on fire, with 32 of her horses and ponies trapped inside.

Only five horses survived the fire and there was nothing left of the building. “We lost everything. I tried to save some things that weren’t completely burned, but nothing was salvageable,” Amber said.

The Bauman family have owned and operated Valley View Acres, a facility geared mostly toward young hunter/jumper riders, out of their home in Woodstock, Ill., since 1992.

“It’s awful because every day we stare at a pile of rubble,” said Amber. “But we’re just trying to move forward and create a new normal.”

While Amber is still grieving the deaths of many of her own horses, her main concern in the aftermath was helping 11-year-old Alexis accept the loss of her ponies. Among others, Alexis lost her first pony Dusty, a small green pony named Reese’s Pieces and her favorite mare, Ella Enchanted.

“Ella was the cutest little bay pinto pony,” said Amber. “She had a great jump, she was a good teacher and she moved like a Mack truck! She was not an ‘A’ show pony; I bought her out of a school program and she didn’t even have lead changes when I bought her. But that pony gave [Alexis] confidence that carried over into everything she does, so, as a mom, there’s no monetary value you can put on that horse.

“[Alexis has] asked me to take down Ella and Dusty’s ribbons in her room because they remind her of them and she misses them,” Amber continued. “I understand that because there are a lot of times that I feel the same way about my horses. My goal as a mom was just to get my kid back in the show ring and get her moving forward, past the heartbreak.”

The Baumans now lease a local facility in Crystal Lake until they can rebuild their barn. They began teaching lessons again on donated and borrowed horses in December.

From New England To Illinois With Love

The Baumans’ story was shared widely over social media, and soon hundreds of people were reading about, sharing and sympathizing with their plight. Many in the Chicago area stepped up to help Amber and her family, but friends and neighbors weren’t the only ones to respond. June Gillis-Ahern, owner of Victory Stables in Stoughton, Mass., read an article about the fire on Facebook and promptly took action, reaching out to the New England horse community and encouraging them to donate what they could.

“I don’t know the Bauman family, but the story just kept popping up and the more I read about it, the more it really hit home,” said Gillis-Ahern. “I started sharing the articles on my Facebook and started putting it out there, and I think for everyone that’s involved in horses that read it, it was something they wanted to be a part of—helping in any way that they could. Within about three days, we probably had upwards of $5,000 worth of [donated] tack, saddles and blankets.

“This is a hard business and it can be tough, but there were so many wonderful people that were willing to help,” Gillis-Ahern continued. “People just want to come together and support each other. We’re very lucky that the horse community is so generous and thoughtful.”

Abbi Ferrigno, who owns Rabbit Hill Farm in Newtown, Conn., was one of the first to join Gillis-Ahern in her donation efforts. Ferrigno arranged to donate and ship two of her green ponies, Two For The Bunny and Stoneledge Foxfire, to Alexis. “Bunny” is a 9-year-old medium Welsh mare, and “Foxy” is an 8-year-old small Welsh gelding.

“I just felt like I have so much to give, so I just thought, ‘What could I do to help them?’ ” said Ferrigno. “I have a 12-year-old daughter [Ellie], so Amber’s situation really just struck a chord with me. I personally just needed to do something.”

“Abbi has been a friend of mine for years—we have daughters the same age—and I think she felt the same as I did,” said Gillis-Ahern. “She related to the story on a personal level and she said that she had ponies her daughter had outgrown before she could even get in the ring on them, so they were sort of on the backburner. So she got in contact the Baumans to see if it was something they would be interested in.”

Abbi’s veterinarian provided the ponies with a full pre-shipping work-up, and many of her friends and acquaintances volunteered to pay for the ponies’ transportation. They even packed the trailer’s tack compartment full of donated items for the Baumans.

“There was a giant group of people who chipped in and sent supplies like brushes and clippers, tack and gift boxes from Smartpak and Dover,” said Abbi. “We had boxes and bags and trunks full of stuff with the ponies. It was just amazing how everybody rallied together, and everyday somebody pledged something more to send.”

“To have people like June and Abbi fundraise and donate, it’s just positively amazing what the horse world will do to help another horseman,” said Amber. “Everywhere we turn there’s someone who wants to hug us or help us.“

And the pony and horse donations didn’t stop with Abbi. When Maria Hayes found out that Flag On That Play, a pony out of her Frosty Oak Stables in Nescopeck, Pa., died in the Bauman’s fire, she raised funds to transport his full sister, Juliet May, to Illinois. Helen and Ryan Petronelli of Justamere Pony Farm in Bethel, Conn., also donated a pony called Justamere’s Little Diamond to the Valley View lesson program. Many of their neighbors have lent horses to the program while the Baumans get back on their feet, as well.

Back In The Show Ring

Alexis Bauman is back in the show ring thanks to pony breeder Abbi Ferrigno, who donated two  ponies, including Two For The Bunny, to her after a devastating barn fire.  Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

Alexis wasted little time getting back into the show ring with her new pony Bunny, and the pair have made quite a splash in their first appearances in the Ledges Winter Series (Roscoe, Ill.). After taking the reserve champion title in the green pony hunter division Jan. 15-18, they’ve earned the chance to compete in this summer’s USEF Pony Finals (Ky.).

“For my daughter, I think the best thing we could have done was get back in the show ring,” Amber said. “I anticipated that our first show back would not be stellar because there were so many emotions for us and she was on a pony we didn’t really know, but she did so well. She’s a fighter.”

Gillis-Ahern and Abbi have kept close tabs on Alexis and Amber, and they’re thrilled to see that Alexis is doing so well with Bunny.

“Amber posts pictures of the ponies online and texts me with updates on what they’re doing and how excited they are to have them,” said Abbi. “Everybody is just happy to see them smiling again. I’m so excited to see them at Pony Finals; they’re going to have the biggest cheering section!”

And Gillis-Ahern isn’t done donating. She’s offered to pay the entry fee for Alexis to ride Bunny at Pony Finals.

“[Alexis] is a talented little jockey and a beautiful little girl,” said Gillis-Ahern. “I know it’s every little pony rider’s dream to go to Pony Finals, so I’m taking care of that for them. I just want to help as much as I can.”

Alexis will continue campaigning with Bunny in the coming seasons, competing regularly to strengthen their partnership before heading to Kentucky this summer. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, she’s beginning to move forward after the death of her ponies.

“This fire could’ve defined who we were,” said Amber. “This is really horrible for all of us, but we have to move forward; giving up isn’t an option. I can’t let the people who have donated to us down; I feel that responsibility to the community who have helped pick me and my daughter back up. I’m just eternally grateful to the horse world.”

This article appears in the Feb. 16 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse, which is the Steeplechasing Issue. In it, you can read about how steeplechase trainer Richard Valentine made his way to an Eclipse Award, how the sport of hunting is carrying on in spite of the ban 10 years ago, all about the Wellington Eventing Showcase (including a Horseman’s Forum from Michael Pollard about the event and its implications for the sport), a Forum from Armand Leone about the trend of U.S. owners supporting foreign show jumpers, and so much more. What are you missing if you don’t subscribe?