Washington, PA — To aid in the recovery from the devastating Nov. 9 barn fire at Tioga Downs that claimed the lives of 30 horses, the board of the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA) on Tuesday voted to donate $5,000 to the relief effort.

The funds will go to the Tioga Downs Horsemen’s GoFundMe account.

“A barn fire is the worst nightmare of horsemen and horsewomen, destroying beautiful animals who are at once beloved companions and sources of income,” said MSOA President Richard Gillock. “We want that nightmare to end as quickly as possible for our Tioga brethren.”

Gillock noted that MSOA members know first hand what the Tioga community is enduring, as The Meadows suffered a July 2001 barn fire that killed 28 horses.

“We’ve been in that situation,” Gillock said, “so we know that it will take support from our entire industry to help Tioga recover.”