Horses preserved at Will Rogers State Historic Park

Chacha Jago lost her house in the Palisades Fire. But for now at least, she's more focused on how the wildfire's aftermath is affecting the horses, horse workers and riders at her equestrian company, Jigsaw Farms. In recent years, it was the concessionaire for Will Rogers State Historic Park, named after Hollywood's favorite screen cowboy. The property, which included the main ranch house and stables, had been destroyed by the 23,000-acre fire that destroyed more than 1,200 structures in Pacific Palisades and much of eastern Malibu.

Jago told hollywood reporter After the fire on Jan. 7, she and staff moved 17 horses from their stables to beneath the famous polo fields at the bottom of the park. “The horses were all nervous and wondering what was going on because it was so windy, with gusts of 80 miles an hour,” she said. “At 4:30 that afternoon, the last horses were driven out, and by six o'clock, the whole park was in flames.” Jago added, speaking of the apocalyptic operation, “It was a bit like Noah's Ark. ” (Jennifer Rogers, director of the Will Rogers Foundation, which supports the park, noted that her great-grandfather would have approved: “He would save the horses first. That was his first priority.”)

The cattle were first moved to Sullivan's Gulch in northeast Brentwood. But hours later, it turned out that backup location wasn't safe either. Soon, they and other horses from Sullivan's Canyon (54 in total) were evacuated again to Burbank. Since then, some people have started using nebulizers due to ongoing air quality issues. Others were moved as far away as Santa Ynez in central California.

Jago's business, which now faces an uncertain future (“Our barn, arena, equipment and precious space are gone,” the GoFundMe appeal explains), has been the subject of field trips to Los Angeles-area schools Main content. But she noted, “A lot of our students live in the Palisades.” Some kids have visited Burbank's horses. “They have a huge connection. It's like therapy for them and it's the only thing they have left. Their house is gone, their school burned down. These horses and these kids really need each other.”