Cowboys never say die
Heritage Acres Farm in Lafayette burned down in a horrific fire in January. In September, owner Arthur Hahn was beginning to rebuild.
Decked out in jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, Hahn pointed to a large dirt patch on the property where his second horse barn once stood. As we walked over, I noticed Hahn – a rodeo bulldog in his younger days – didn’t walk, exactly, but sauntered as though he had on spurs. There was absolutely nothing left of the structure that had housed 22 show horses. All the horses perished in the blaze, which Hahn describes as so hot it engulfed the building instantly, leaving nothing but twisted metal.
He is still haunted by the images of his horses that he had to bury. He says he still wakes up in the middle of the night and sees them.
At first Hahn took the fire as a sign to hang up his spurs. But for the sake of his two daughters’ futures, Hahn has decided to dip into his life savings to rebuild the farm. It will cost him $100,000. This doesn’t include the $400,000 in horses and damages he already lost in the fire. He is taking a chance, he says simply, but is rebuilding for his daughters.