The equine community in Southern Oklahoma and North Texas faced significant challenges during winter storm “Fern” on January 24-26, 2026. The storm brought accumulating sleet, ice, and snow, resulting in the collapse of at least 39 barn and covered arena structures.
The prolonged period of below-freezing temperatures and precipitation caused metal buildings to fail under the strain. NRHA Professional and $5 million rider Jason Vanlandingham experienced the loss of his covered arena and five portable stalls on Saturday, January 24 when the structure collapsed.
Vanlandingham recalled, “We heard it fall down, but we had no idea what it was until we stuck our heads out the door. It was sickening, knowing there were horses trapped and our barn apartment was under that roof as well.”
The barn apartment guest was unharmed, and with the help of the Whitesboro and Collinsville Fire Departments, as well as neighbors like Lorenzo Lotti’s team, the horses were rescued from the portable Priefert stalls that had collapsed.
The collective effort led to the horses coming out of the wreckage mostly unharmed, despite some cuts and scrapes. Vanlandingham praised the calmness of the young horses amidst the chaos and flying sparks.
Similar scenes unfolded across the primarily-reining community in the area, with structures like North Central Texas College’s covered arena and the EE Ranches’ dry mare barn succumbing to the weight of the ice.
Vanlandingham described how his arena had “every bit of 2 inches of ice” on the roof, resulting in 9.5 pounds of ice per square foot. The weight of the ice surpassed the buildings’ capacity, leading to the collapse.
“I calculated the minimum weight on there, and it was a ridiculous number—around 357,000 pounds, just from the ice,” Vanlandingham explained. “That’s not counting any snow. That’s a lot of semi-loads of alfalfa sitting on top of a barn.”
Moving forward
Media professional Chelsea Schneider has been providing updates and resources on Facebook as the community prepares to rebuild after the snowstorm.
Despite the challenges, Vanlandingham remains grateful. The timing of the collapse meant no one was in the arena at the time, and a neighbor offered their facility for temporary use until the rebuilding process can begin.
“Everything is working as well as it could under the circumstances,” Vanlandingham remarked. “I see God’s hand in this, and we will all be okay.”