Three horses had a miraculous escape in Angus on Saturday when their barn roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
The barn, at The Cairn in Kirriemuir, caved in after collecting around 18 inches of snow. Owner Terri Brooks went to tend to the horses at 6am when she saw that three-quarters of the barn roof had gone.
She was too terrified to look inside and fetched her husband, Austen, who was able to lead two of the horses out of the rubble. The couple then called Tayside Fire and Rescue to free a third horse which was trapped.
Terri (41) said: “It was a miracle that none of the horses were harmed. The wood from the roof fell around them. I think someone was looking down on us.
“My husband was able to coax two of the ponies outside, as well as six guinea pigs and two rare snowflake quails that were also inside.
“One horse couldn’t get out of the shed so we called the fire brigade, who were absolutely fantastic. It wasn’t safe for us to go into the barn and items had to be moved so it could get out.”
“I’m just glad that everyone’s safe. It must have happened in the middle of the night and I can’t believe that we didn’t hear anything.”
The equestrian community rushed to help the family when they heard about the news.
Joyce and Ally Bruce from Pathhead Equestrian Centre in Kirriemuir helped to clear the remaining snow from the roof. Others brought hay and blankets.
“The fact that the horses are all right is the main thing but unfortunately we lost a lot of items because of the collapse. We had all the winter hay and rugs housed inside,” said Terri.
“I cannot thank the people who have helped us enough. I feel an amazing sense of community.”
The couple’s three children Ellen (17), Kyle (15) and Annabelle (10) are all well known in the riding community and have won several accolades at local shows.
Tayside Fire and Rescue did not use any equipment but offered the couple advice about the safety of the building.
Graeme Nicoll, station manager of Forfar Fire Station, said: “We were able to help the last horse out with the assistance of a bag of feed.”