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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT) - Thursday night, members of the Redstone Arsenal Saddle Club were told they had just four days to pack up their belongings and move out.

Now, members are struggling to find a new barn to house their horses.

Jeannette Swearingen has been riding horses out at Redstone since she was 11 years old, and says, while she understands it's military land and they can do what they want with it, all they're asking for is more time.

“We did not get any kind of notice, any kind of timeline, it really hit us pretty cold," says Swearingen.

For months, members of the saddle club have heard whispers it might close.

“That there could be a closing, but everything we kind of followed up on it, we would get don’t worry, it’s okay it’s okay," says Pamela Millin, a Redstone Arsenal Saddle Club member.

Thursday night at a town hall meeting with Garrison Commander Col. Tom Holliday, those whispers transitioned into a direct order.

“That we had to pretty much vacate the buildings, the horses are able to stay out in the fields for about 90 days but after that , all of us we pretty much have to vacate and find some other place for our horses," says Millin.

Col. Holliday send WHNT News 19 the following statement:

"The Saddle Activity on Redstone Arsenal will not be accepting new animals for boarding after May 1, 2017. Recent inspections showing the structures used for the animals fail to meet federal standards raises health and safety issues that cannot be remedied within budget restrictions. Therefore, the Garrison Commander is preparing to close the facility. Patrons are being notified of these issues and that the Redstone Arsenal Garrison will work with patrons to implement a closure schedule that allows for the orderly transition of animals to other facilities. We understand and regret that some patrons may be inconvenienced, but our top concern is for the safety of the patrons who visit the facility and the animals boarded there."

"We understand we may not be able to stay here forever, that’s perfectly fine," says Millin.

These horse owners are now past the point of digging in their hooves to stay, and are currently pleading that the barns can stay open past the May 1st deadline.

"We would be amazingly grateful to have a 6 months transition period to allow people to actually find property, go through the whole process of getting it setup to move a horse," says Swearingen.

Pamela Millin says this is far beyond simple convenience.

"Most of the boarding barns we’ve already checked into in the last 24 hours are already full," she says.

The Arsenal will allow horses to stay for the next 90 days in an open pasture, but Jeannette says that's not a great option either.

"It’s not a realistic possibility for a majority of the horses there’s very few that can withstand that level of fresh green grass 24-7," she says.

So now, after being a customer there for 38 years, Jeannette doesn't know where she can turn next.

“Euthanasia has come to mind, so not really sure what I’m going to do," says Swearingen, with tears in her eyes.

The talk of closure may have started as a whisper, but it currently has the saddle club in a scream of panic.

“To expect 71 horses to just all of a sudden disappear and land somewhere out in the N. Alabama area, it can’t happen, there’s really no way," says Millin.

What's next for the land



The Redstone Arsenal Saddle Club hasn't been given an answer to what the land will be used for, but when WHNT News 19's Chris Davis asked a spokesman for the Garrison Command, he was told the city and Arsenal planners are exploring the possibility of a new road that would run from I-565, connected to the Redstone Gateway, running through the Saddle Club's property.

As of right now, that plan hasn't been approved.

Help for the horses

If you own a barn, or know of a place where these riders might be able to stable their horses, you can email the club at rsasaveourhorses@gmail.com