Rainbow Riders staff wait out blizzard with therapy horses

Staff with Rainbow Riders, a therapeutic horse program in St. John's, spent two nights inside the facility to wait out a massive blizzard that ripped through eastern Newfoundland.

"They're great. They're pretty comfortable here this morning, having their breakfast, chewing happily and kicking at their stalls," Sarah Evans told CBC Radio's special storm program Saturday.

Evans and another staffer stayed overnight Thursday into Friday at the Mount Scio barn, in case they couldn't get in Friday morning.

They were still at Rainbow Riders Saturday morning.

• Record-smashing blizzard holds eastern Newfoundland in grip

"We've just been trying our best to stay to the horses' normal routine," Evans said.

Seven-foot snow drifts are blocking the horses'outdoor spaces, Evans said.

"Even our Kubota tractor won't get through those."

Watch as Kelly Sandoval, executive director of Rainbow Riders, talks about the 'big job' of cleanup:

N.L. blizzard cleanup 'big job,' says resident

5 years ago

Duration 4:42

The N.L. blizzard has left many residents snowed-in and without power. Kelly Sandoval, the executive director of Rainbow Riders horseback riding resort, says the cleanup needed to restore her property will be a "big job" for her and her staff.

The back of the building is snow-logged to the eaves, she said.

As the winds picked up to 150 kilometres per hour, Evans said, the horses pricked up their ears and paused from eating hay.

The Newfoundland ponies were running around like "babies," she said.

"It was crazy I haven't seen them act like that in years. They know something is going on, for sure."

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