HELP US HELP MORE HORSES

My name is Vadim Vysotskiy. My wife and I are the founders of Big Heart OTTB Foundation. I work as an architect and my wife Yelena is a CPA. Our love for animals comes from our early childhood. All kids have dreams and, so it happened, ours was to have a lot of animals. When we just got married, living an urban life in Los Angeles, we had dogs and cats. Somehow, more often than anybody we know, we kept finding strays or lost dogs on the streets of Los Angeles, helping them find their lost owners or new homes. Not an easy "hobby" but we could never walk by an animal in need. About 10 years ago we decided to move out of Los Angeles to a more rural area, since our two daughters grew up and moved on with their adult lives. We bought a house with 5 acres of land so we can finally fulfill our childhood dreams. 

We have always been fascinated with horses, so we decided to get one. Being an architect, designing and building new facilities from scratch was not new to me. In the process, I started learning about what horses need for their well-being, and what kind of life we can provide for them to keep them happy and healthy. The horrible reality of the horse world had dawned on us. In today's day, horses are the most abused domestic animal in the United States. A lot of it is due to the gross mismanagement of the horse sport industry at all levels and most disciplines, neglect and abuse of private ownership, housing norms and training that are based on fear and abuse, and so much more. 

Our decision to start a 501(c)(3) charity was really an obvious step for us. We just started our program in March of 2021 and already have seven horses in our care. Three of them are forever retired in our sanctuary and will not be adopted out so they can enjoy the rest of their years in peace. We also have four young OTTBs (off the track thoroughbreds). They all are recovering from injuries or health issues associated with their short racing careers and have started the rehabilitation process so they can become part of someone's family. 

All of the horses in our care are mostly funded by us and even though we wish we could help more horses; we cannot do it without additional funding. Our facility is capable of providing a home for up to 30 horses. We created a rehabilitation program for off track thoroughbreds that has shown great results. Part of it is the "paddock paradise" track system to improve their hoof conditions, which is one of the biggest issues with these breeds. We also use the "training in liberty" method to treat their behavioral baggage from their racing careers, which enables the horse to not feel any form of pressure or force in training. These methods take much more time than any other conventional method, but they create a really deep connection between a horse and a human that is very beneficial for both. We believe horses with this level of trust and connection to humans are more likely to find a forever home with our help, and will never end up in the same situation that they came from. 

With your help we can help more horses. You can always see our progress here and on our Facebook page!