FOUNTAIN — A horse rescue ranch near Fountain is still recovering from flood damage that happened nearly two years ago. The owner of Dreamcatchers Equine Rescue, Julie Demuesy, said they are continuing to fix and repair their north horse pasture after it was destroyed from flood waters.
In efforts to fundraise for the horse rescue, Demuesy is auctioning off a 2006 Forest River, Cardinal fifth wheel RV.
“We're hoping that we can raise enough money through this raffle to not just help us with shoring up the creek, but also doing all the necessary repairs once it's done,” said Demuesy. “Fencing around the paddocks, helping with the hay production, as well as purchasing hay to feed the horses throughout the year, so, it's a big deal."
The raffle tickets are $100 a piece for a chance to win the RV. People can buy tickets here. Demuesy said people can purchase as many tickets they want. She said there is not a limit to the amount of entries into the raffle.
“Every penny goes to the horses and to helping get things fixed around here so that we can continue our mission of rescuing these wonderful animals,” said Demuesy.
In June of 2023, back to back rain storms caused the nearby Fountain Creek to overflow into the Dreamcatchers Equine Rescue.
“We saw 21,000 feet per second coming down the creek, and there's just no way to stop that,” said Demuesy.
The flood water seeped into the hay fields and the north horse pasture at the ranch.
“We lost both crops on one hay field, which... at the hay prices... they're at, (it's) equivalent to at least 30 or $40,000,” said Demuesy.
Nearly a year and a half later, there are still ponds of water on the ranch property.
“It's been very, very challenging,” said Demuesy. “Thankfully, the horses have learned to navigate around the damage.”
To protect her land and her horses, Demuesy said the creek has to stay within its banks.
"I wish they would do some sort of mitigation on the creek to like reservoirs along the creek to help mitigate the flooding downstream,” said Demuesy. “Because the runoff just goes right into Fountain Creek, and there's nothing to stop it from just completely annihilating us downstream."
Demuesy said Xcel Energy has been a huge help.
“They helped us by filling in a lot of the damage that was done and they built an irrigation ditch kind of thing along that north fence line, so that it saves the hay fields from getting flooded which is huge,” said Demuesy. “It's a necessary feature to be able to feed this many horses.”
While they have replanted one hay field, Demuesy is worried about what this spring will bring.
“We had a lot of snow in the high country, so that's going to translate into a lot of runoff, and... it may or may not take out this entire pasture,” said Demuesy.
She said a lot of work still needs to be done.
“Mother Nature is amazing, as much damage as she can do with this water,” said Demuesy. “We're just constantly in a state of repair.”
First on the list, fixing the broken fences and selling the RV to raise money. To learn more about the raffle, visit their website or Facebook page.
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