Without electricity and in debt: how to help the Kyiv equestrian club on the brink of closure and save horses

On a beautiful April morning, 14-year-old Diana was filled with excitement as she prepared for a horseback ride with her beloved bay horse Vodohray. Gently brushing away the gunpowder, Diana lovingly groomed her equine companion in anticipation of the adventure ahead.

Last year, Svitlana, the mother of the family, who has three daughters, escaped the war in Poland to find refuge on a small horse farm owned by Mrs. Dorota. The girls quickly adapted to their new home and grew fond of the animals they encountered, helping clean and feed them daily. Diana, in particular, formed a strong bond with the horses and has since decided to pursue a future with them. The family recently visited the "Vodohray" Equestrian Fan Club at the Kyiv Hippodrome.

"Those affected by hostilities are in great need of rehabilitation. Horses help a lot in this. Cars are good, the city is wonderful, but I still gravitate towards something alive," Ms. Svitlana shares.

However, the horses, currently under the supervision of the "Vodohray" horse fan club, require assistance.

Horses are a family passion for Natalia Muzychenko and her daughter Olha Cherniakhova. Before the birth of her daughter, Natalia was actively involved in dressage and participated in competitions but had to devote her time to parenting subsequently.

When Olha grew up, the family once went on an excursion to the stable.

"We were volunteers at the first stable: we helped feed the horses and clean up after them. When they came home, everyone thought one day would be enough for me. But I said: "Let's go to them all the time." And so the mother started working with horses again. After a certain time, we started to acquire our horses," recalls Olga.

The inaugural horse of the club was Vodohray, whom the club was named after. He was purchased from a rental facility where he had been mistreated, suffering from an injured withers, malnutrition, and psychological trauma. An osteopath discovered a fractured rib during the examination. Now, he is a healthy and contented horse.

For over a decade, Natalia, Olha, and their relatives and friends have been engaged in the rehabilitation and training of equines that were in substandard conditions.

"For example, we rehabilitated Puma after races in which she participated earlier. She had numerous injuries, including muscle tears in the neck, the animal had reduced immunity, and the mare almost lost her kidneys. Veterinarians and I cured and rehabilitated her, and she still lives with us," says Olha Cherniakhova.

The horse fan club offers equine instruction, which includes handling, riding, and walking within the limits of the horse's abilities. Guests have commented that the horses are lively and have distinct personalities; the current stable comprises 13 horses: Azhdar, Imidge, Vodohray, Bohdan, Dialog, Harmony, Astra, Grand Riviera, Giga, Finlan de Wies, Orchidea, Knelia and Puma. The club's students own a few of these horses.

By the way, Knelia is an abbreviated form of "Kniahynia Olha" [Princess Olha in Ukrainian, one of the rulers of the Kyivan Rus – ed.], a beautiful gray mare possessing a regal temperament. On the levada, she is known to assert dominion over even the larger Harmonia. In addition, Giga and Riviera have grown accustomed to traveling in pairs, so separating them without causing undue stress is not feasible.

Since 2018, the "Vodohray" equestrian fan club has obtained a premises lease from the Kyiv Hippodrome Communal Enterprise by all applicable laws and regulations. All required rent and utilities have been paid in a timely manner since the beginning of the lease and up to the onset of the full-scale war.

When the full-scale aggression commenced, the family made their home in the stables, being particularly concerned for the welfare of the animals. They maintained a constant presence in the stables to be able to rescue the horses in the event of a fire and to administer first aid if the animals became ill during the night. It was felt that one groom would be unable to attend to the animals on their own adequately. 

Kyiv experienced considerable depopulation following February 24, 2022. Most individuals abandoned the city, while those remaining refrained from going out unless necessary. Subsequently, many landlords attempted to attract businesses by significantly decreasing rent for a few months or eliminating it entirely. However, this does not relate to the Kyiv Hippodrome Communal Enterprise management.

 Vodohray also had to pay ₴ 60,000 monthly rental for the stables, yet there were no funds to do so. Consequently, some of the horse owners who fled the war simply left their horses for the family to take care of; for example, from the commencement of the full-scale war, both horses Bohdan and Imidge were under the guardianship of Cherniakhova. Moreover, last year, the "Poruch" Union was asked for assistance in collecting donations for animal feed.

As the capital began to experience a period of recovery, an influx of visitors resulted in an influx of funds, enabling the club to start covering their rent and other services provided. 

For the year 2022, the fan club has no debt for communal services. Olha Cherniakhova reaffirms her commitment to paying the rent to the best of her ability. Nevertheless, the administration of the hippodrome has not responded to this, and their interactions with "Vodohray" have deteriorated into an open conflict.

The power to the stable was deactivated. The lack of electricity complicates the process of food preparation for animals with gastrointestinal problems and hinders proper veterinary examination and manipulation. Additionally, the absence of light renders the club unable to operate and, thus, generate income in the evening, as the stable is totally dark. 

"It turns out to be a closed circle," Natalia Muzychenko complains.

The management of the hippodrome issued an edict prohibiting stabled horses from utilizing the tracks and fields of the racecourse, despite the well-known fact that prolonged confinement in kennels is detrimental to horses' health.

"For horses, movement is life," Olha Cherniakhova emphasizes. — The more they move, the better for their health. If they have to stand in the stable for a long time, they start having problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Due to the accumulation of energy, they may develop bad habits — the so-called "bear rocking" [atypical behavior of a horse which includes a swaying motion on its front legs while rhythmically shaking its head and transferring the weight of the body with an alternating pattern — ed.], provoking belching, animals may even mutilate themselves. In other words, the horses must move."

Consequently, deviating from the protocol is essential to avoid harming the animals. Simultaneously, Olha Chernyakhova was met with complaints from the racetrack's administration regarding inadequate upkeep of the horses. She took a video in the stable to present the actual circumstances and contacted the media.

Furthermore, there is a risk that the water supply of communal services will be terminated as an outcome of the existing debt in the stable, thus depriving the animals of their access to water.

Other tenants of the racetrack premises have reported similar issues in their dealings with the Communal Enterprise. For instance, Olha says that one of the tenants was prohibited from entering the premises in his car when attempting to deliver animal feed.

"There is no such thing as that I am aggressively opposed to paying the debt, no," says Olha. — But then it is necessary that Kyiv Hippodrome Communal Enterprise also fulfills the obligations assumed by the contract. And for four years of proper payment for all services, there was no repair here."

Olha Cherniakhova displays corroded piping, unassembled grates, windows that are beyond cleaning due to their state of disrepair, electrical wiring that has been deemed too hazardous for any electrician, other than a full-time one, to work on, and walls that have become structurally compromised in certain areas.

Olha sought assistance from the Kyiv City State Administration to find a viable solution to her financial predicament. The administration proposed a debt restructuring plan, but Olga expressed concern that the proposed payment amount was too high for her to manage. She further noted that should funds become available, her priority would be to acquire fodder for the horses.

According to Natalia Muzychenko, horses consume six meals per day: three consisting of oat and barley pellets (the local "team" consumes three bags daily) and three of hay (each animal consumes roughly 10 kilograms daily). Moreover, pulp, calcium, and oil are added as supplements, and flax is provided for horses with the most complicated health issues. Furthermore, food must always be available for the horses to stand and chew.

"Hay costs 30,000 hryvnias per month, pellets – 9,000, fodder – another 1,000 hryvnias, wood pulp – 1,100 hryvnias, a sawdust machine costs 13,600 hryvnias per month," Natalya and I calculate. — Plus, the salary of a person who cleans up diaries is 8,000. Plus, 400 hryvnias for cleaning each horse once a month, which is still a meager price for this service. We vaccinate twice yearly, so we don't count that now."

It has been determined that 60,000 hryvnias per month are required for both food and care expenses. The same sum is needed for monthly rent. Currently, Vodohray faces an unsustainable financial situation.

Therefore, it is advised that Olha consider selling some of the horses to alleviate the crisis.

"We've had horses from an early age: the youngest being seven months, and some that are one-and-a-half, two, and three years old. We've had one horse with us for ten years, and it's now 14. There's a mare who was three years old and is now 11," – Olha Cherniakhova lists. – Horses aren't disposable here; they've been here since childhood. This is one of the reasons why we want to keep them, not sell and forget them as a lot of "smart" people suggest."

Rubryka contacted the director of Kyiv Hippodrome Communal Enterprise to find out his position on the issue and inquire about potential solutions to the situation and whether the stables had been repaired since 2018. The response was succinct, stating that the Kyiv Hippodrome Communal Enterprise does not have contractual relations with the "Vodohray" Equestrian Fan Club mentioned in the request.

Formally, it is true as the contract was concluded with Olha Cherniakhova as a natural person owning a horse. Simultaneously, on the same days as the Kyiv Hippodrome received our request, they took further steps to address the matter of "Vodohray" and other tenants of the aforementioned stable. The horse owners were informed by the racetrack management that they must relocate their horses, feed, equipment, etc. due to disinfecting and, if necessary, repair work being conducted in the stable.

At the same time,the horses are planned to be placed in different stables so that one groom will not be able to take care of them. In response, Olha Cherniakhova and the other tenants of this stable sent letters to the directorate, requesting a detailed informational answer regarding the reasons for the planned transfer of horses to different stables, the duration of the transfer, and other related inquiries. As of the date of publication, the horse owners have not yet received a response.

"Our main concern now is debt repayment," says Olha Cherniakhova. — As of the end of April, it amounts to more than half a million hryvnias. Therefore, we strive to work as much as possible."

At the "Vodohray" fan club, you can partake in a horseback ride or a comprehensive training session. Additionally, you can spend the day with the animals, becoming accustomed to them. If you wish, you can assist with their care, which includes combing their fur, tails, and manes and cleaning their hooves. As a reward, you can treat them with delicious snacks, such as apples, carrots, and bagels.

To make a reservation for a walk or class, you should submit your request two or three days in advance via the Vodogray Equestrian fan club's Instagram or Facebook page or on their TikTok account.

 You can transfer funds to the Monobank account: 5375411203686626. 

If you do not possess a bank account in Ukraine, but you wish to render assistance, we recommend that you contact the company via the abovementioned social media and inquire as to the manner in which you can provide support.

"The goal of our small team is to unite people who want to understand more about horses. That is, not just come, ride, and leave, but those who are interested in the horse as a horse. There is a famous phrase that someone loves himself on a horse, and someone loves a horse under him. We belong to the second category of people," Olha smiles despite everything.

In fact, you can't help but smile when in the presence of horses. They really relieve stress, even if you just gently stroke them. If you come, you will see for yourself.