WARREN COUNTY — Horse owners must move their 300 horses out of the Warren County Fairgrounds.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the Warren County Agricultural Society decided that horses at the harness racing renters have to be out by Dec. 1.
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For years, the fairgrounds have been home to hundreds of horses and trainers.
“Everyone would have to find a new facility, then you also have to find somewhere to live, I mean, I can’t make that drive every day,” Warren County resident Antonia Storer said.
Storer lives just a few minutes from the fairgrounds and has a dozen horses training there.
She said taking care of and racing horses is a full-time job.
“You can’t live far from your farm, because you’re truthfully there more than you are at home,” Storer said. “Our horses are athletes, and we need the facility.”
On the county’s website, the Agricultural Society said people have not paid their rent, and that put a financial strain on the facility.
Storer said she tried calling every training facility within an hour of Warren County.
“And there was no more than six stalls at any given place,” she said.
Storer said Greene County Fairgrounds was one of the places she called.
On Tuesday, Greene County Senior Fair Board Member Kala Stidham told News Center 7 that they do not have room.
“That obviously is a burden we can’t take on at this time, only having 160 stalls and being at full capacity,” Stidham said.
“I mean can you imagine trying to put your house up for sale, find a new place to live in, find a new house, and do that all within 40 at that point, it was 41 days by that time,” Storer said.
Stidham wants owners to know that they can call the Greene County Fair Office and be put on a waitlist for an open stall.
According to Storer, the Ohio Horseman Association is trying to find ways to discuss other options with the agricultural society.
Our news partner, WCPO-9 TV, reported that there is an online petition to try to get the Fair Board to come up with another solution.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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