Horses at risk: Nassau County stables struggle with flooding after weeks of heavy rain

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Parts of our area are still feeling the impact of nearly two weeks of rain, Including animals. Barnwell Equestrian off Barnwell Road in Nassau County is struggling with the horses.

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The private facility hasn’t gotten any relief from flooding. The stable is supposed to be sand but looks more like a lake.

“It’s very concerning for the animals,” Barnwell Equestrian stable mom Carol Woodmansee said.

Woodmansee’s daughter uses this facility to practice competitive riding. But the water is posing a dangerous risk for the horses.

“The problem with this is that horses’ feet are very observant, and in Florida their feet start to develop all types of funguses, so we can’t just have them out there,” Woodmansee said.

Titania is one of the four horses at Barnwell Equestrian, and despite the flooded waters, she has to walk through them because she needs to stay active.

“They need their exercise and they can’t be in water like this,” Woodmansee said.

This affects their health and the ability of Woodmansee’s daughter to practice.

The St. Johns River Water Management District reported that Nassau County’s rainfall was 204% above the monthly average in August.

That was followed by the September soaker.

Our Action News Jax First Alert Weather teams said this area has received up to 19 inches of rain.

Preliminary stats indicate Nassau County likely experienced a 500-year storm event over the past two weeks.

“My daughter has been here for 15 years,” Woodmansee said. “And they have never seen anything like this.”

About a foot of water still lingers on the property.

“If it doesn’t go away, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Woodmansee said. “The water has no place to go.”

The Nassau County Emergency Management team even opened a call center Friday-Sunday. The team received about 240 calls and more than 100 reports online since last Monday.

The county’s public works spokesperson said the unprecedented rainfall drew a strong response team of emergency contractors.  They worked to clear blocked culverts and open outfall ditches so that the accumulated stormwater could drain better.

Woodmansee’s neighbor, Carl Sellers is also feeling the rainfall’s aftermath.

“This the best it’s been in 7-8 days,” Sellers said.

Even though Sellers has experienced more than 5 inches of water, he sees the silver lining.

“If we had a slow-moving hurricane this is kind of what we’d be dealing with, so I’m kind of glad it’s getting resolved,” Sellers said. “You can’t beat Mother Nature, you just have to make the best of it.”

The public works team also said they are working with the folks off Barnwell Road, but the historic rainfall has impacted the natural stormwater system and it’s going to take some time.

In an emailed statement, District 1 Chairman John Martin said, “I am proud of the tremendous response of county employees and our emergency response contractors. I am even more proud of the citizens of Nassau County who showed great compassion for their neighbors and assisted in responding to these unprecedented storm events. We are committed to maintaining our County forces on the job until we get relief for impacted citizens.”

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