Fire

Seeking Common Ground

“Do you need help, Dr. Nelson?”, a commenter responded to my 2024 Facebook post.

The Horse Gulch Fire was less than three miles from our place. We were not yet under an evacuation notice, but we’d awakened to incredibly dense smoke and an Air Quality Indicator reading above 500. I thought of our horses out in the thick air and decided to move them to town.

The idea of hauling 34 horses, a mix of stallions, mares, and foals, was daunting, but they couldn’t stay here: it was unsafe.

I never like asking for help, but this offer seemed sincere. I considered the reality of trying to move all those horses with our two stock trailers and replied, “Yes, if you’re not busy, maybe a little help would be really nice.”

I posted that I was going dark to bring horses up and sort them into groups that got along. The Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds agreed to keep the horses.

We gathered the horses; separated them into groups of mares with foals, yearlings and two-year-olds, three-year-olds and older, and the two stallions in their own spaces. I watched to be sure everyone was calm in the crowded environment.

Just as we got all the horses sorted, a four-horse trailer arrived. Then a stock trailer, then another four-horse trailer. Suddenly there were about 15 horse trailers each waiting for its load to take to town. My eyes, already smarting from the smoke, filled with tears of gratitude.

So many trailers arrived to help us that three went home empty. One woman said, “You evacuated our pets and horses to your hospital when we had our fire; this feels like paying you back. Thank you for all you’ve done in our community!”

Incredibly, less than two hours passed from the time I’d posted about the smoke until all 34 horses were safe at the Fairgrounds. That’s Montanans stepping up to help.

Let me tell you about me: I grew up in Great Falls; my folks moved there in 1965 when my Dad was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force when his father unexpectedly died, and my dad needed to take over the family business. He’d had a deep desire to raise his family back home in Montana and that tragedy opened the door.

I don’t remember smoke from wildfires causing problems in the ‘60s, 70s, and ‘80s but I do remember our parents instilling in us the Montana value of helping each other. My parents were always on the lookout for opportunities to serve the community – assisting with a church bazaar, stopping to change a tire for a stranded motorist, or anything else they could help with.

I moved to Helena in 1980 after I finished my class at the Montana State Horseshoeing School. The instructor stated at the end of the 11-week course that we could anticipate three to five years to build a sustainable practice; then he added, “But for you girls, I don’t know. I don’t think the world is ready for women farriers.”

“Well, ready or not, here I come!” I thought. I started my farrier career with every intention of making a viable business of it and I found that integrity, kindness, and showing up mattered far more than gender. Within three years, I had a solid clientele.

I started my own veterinary practice in 2002 and over the years grew it into Valley Veterinary Hospital. Our hospital was big enough to use as the evacuation point for the Greater Helena Area and we worked with local law enforcement to assist folks during evacuations and other disasters, offering free boarding of animals until it was safe for them to return home. It was a small way we paid the community back for their support of our business.

I see everyday Montanans working hard to find affordable housing, food, and fuel, while our taxes keep increasing. I see our farmers and ranchers struggling to make ends meet with fertilizer and other costs climbing. I feel compelled to bring my commonsense approach to the Legislature to help ALL Montanans continue to live and thrive here. I’m semi-retired from vet medicine now, ranching near York. I decided to run for office because there is a significant need for compassionate, calm, and sensible legislation for all Montanans.

Working together to help ourselves is about as Montana as it gets. I’m looking forward to serving Montana, I’m stepping up and running to represent House District 84. I seek common ground and will work to make Montana proudly purple again.

Tia Nelson is the Democratic candidate for Montana’s House District 84.

Horse Gulch Fire