Community Rallies to Help Replace Teen’s Stolen Horse Equipment

Neighbors in Grants Pass, Oregon, are showing a teenage girl the meaning of true friendship after her expensive horse equipment was stolen.

Thirteen-year-old Emilee Porter has been riding horses since she could walk, according to NBC 5.

“I’ve always had like, the love and passion for horses,” she explained, adding that she raised and sold lambs through her 4-H group to buy barrel racing equipment.

“You win? You save up with money that you win with your horse. You work hard for that money. You buy that [sic] things for your horse and the necessities that you need and that’s what I started doing,” Porter commented.

In the arena for barrel racing, a horse and rider “make a tight circle around all three barrels, giving the horse little room to conform to the shape of the barrel,” according to the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo website.

“In this event, the fastest time wins,” the site explained.

Sadly, when Porter went to visit her horse not long ago, she found the lock had been broken off the barn door and all her equipment was gone.

The missing equipment included bridals, blankets, boxes of tack, two saddles, and another saddle she bought just a month prior.

“It was one of my biggest accomplishments. I felt proud to be able to say ‘oh well, I bought this. I didn’t need the help of my parents,'” Porter recalled.

However, when she posted her story on Facebook, friends and neighbors quickly responded by offering to help replace everything that was stolen.

“The outreach from the community has been breathtaking. It’s been amazing to see that when she really thought that she didn’t have a lot of friends,” said her mom, Heather. “She is finding out now that she’s got a million friends.”

Despite the recent loss, Porter stated that barrel racing was her escape and that nothing would stop her from getting back in the saddle.