Fire strikes horse farm near Rogers; co-owner badly burned trying to save animals

Fire destroyed a barn and arena at a well-known horse farm near Rogers, leaving an owner hospitalized after suffering severe burns while trying to save some of his animals, the property's operators reported.

The blaze, apparently caused by the careless use of matches, erupted late Monday afternoon at Grace Farms, a family-owned dressage training and boarding facility on 24 acres in the 26000 block of Tucker Road.

Three horses died in the fire, said Rogers Fire Chief Brad Feist, who added that the state fire marshal is in charge of investigating how the blaze started. A news release Tuesday afternoon said the preliminary investigation showed the fire was accidental.

Co-owner Chris Leatherdale, 49, who lives on the property with his wife and three children, remains in critical condition Tuesday at Hennepin County Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. The farm's Facebook page reported that Leatherdale has serious burns on at least 30 percent of his body "from trying to save the horses" and will be hospitalized for at least the next three months.

"In regular Chris fashion, he's concerned about everything else and cracking jokes," read an update late Monday on the farm's Facebook page. "The main barn and the old arena were burnt down."

The several horses that did survive stayed the night in the pastures on the property, said Kristin Tallarigo, a Grace Farms client who has been getting regular updates from Leatherdale's wife and farm co-owner, Becca Leatherdale.

"They are just asking everyone to pray, and that's all we can do," Tallarigo said. "Chris and Becca are wonderful people. We are clients, but we're more like family."

Fire Chief Feist said that when he arrived, the barn and arena on the eastern side of the property "were fully involved." That is where the three horses perished and the remainder were freed into a neighboring corral, he said.

The flames did not reach a newer arena and a commons building on the other side of the farm nor the residential structures, he added.

Because there are no fire hydrants near the property, six fire tanker trucks were called in from neighboring departments, Feist said.

The building where the fire started "is all just debris," the chief said. "It's wood construction, with hay in one corner with machinery."

Lynn Lewis, whose daughter took riding lessons there until the family moved out of state about a year ago, described the Leatherdales as "very dedicated people. … All of the horses are well cared for and deeply loved by the whole family."

Chris Leatherdale is the son of the late Douglas Leatherdale, the onetime CEO of St. Paul Companies who died in December at age 79. Leatherdale Farms near Long Lake has been operating in western Hennepin County for more than 35 years. It breeds Hanoverians, horses often used for equestrian events in the Olympics.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482