A Sanctuary for Former Workhorses
BraveHearts Equine Center in Kentucky rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes former draft horses when they are done with their working lives
David Waronker (Questrom’82, SHA’84) and his wife, Ruth, started getting requests to rescue horses at their farm in Arizona. Since then, the two have opened the sanctuary BraveHearts Equine Center in Kentucky. Photo courtesy of BraveHearts Equine Center
A Sanctuary for Former Workhorses
BraveHearts Equine Center, founded by David Waronker (Questrom’82, SHA’84), rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes former draft horses when they are done with their working lives
David Waronker didn’t start out to rescue horses when he and his family began living on a farm in Arizona in 2005. Waronker and his wife, Ruth, took care of horses and the occasional litter of dogs, from English mastiffs to bloodhounds. They wanted their kids to have the experience of working hard and growing up around animals.
And then they began getting requests for help. “We’d get a call in the middle of the night that there are two horses off to the slaughter, [asking if we could] put them up on [our] farm,” says Waronker (Questrom’82, SHA’84). “We’d rescue one or two at a time and before we knew it, we had about 20 of them on our property.”
Along the way, Waronker, who’s always had a love of animals, was learning about animal slaughter. “I just couldn’t take that,” he says. “So I’m like, ‘We’ve got to do more.’”
Over the past four years, he and his wife have scaled up their rescue work. What started as an occasional rescue in Arizona has since turned into a fully functioning nonprofit farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky, with 845 acres of land, 64 stalls, 19 pastures, and 6 full-time employees.
BraveHearts Equine Center, in the state’s famous horse country, the Bluegrass region, is a sanctuary for horses that have been neglected, abused, abandoned, or slated to be slaughtered at the end of their working lives. More than 100 horses call the sanctuary home.
“We just try to do what’s right [and] be good residents and good stewards for the animals that need us so desperately,” Waronker says.
A 2017 report issued by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimated that 6,000 to 10,000 horses were housed in horse rescues across the US. BraveHearts Equine Center generally seeks out draft horses, powerful breeds that can haul heavy loads, pull wagons, or work in fields. Typically, draft horses—which include Clydesdales, Belgians, and Percherons—work for about 15 to 20 years. When they can no longer do so, they are often shipped off to what are called kill pens.
“A lot of these guys have worked their entire lives on one farm, only knowing one family, and then they’re just suddenly thrown away,” says Erica Bivens, the center’s public relations specialist and philanthropy director. “These kill pens are in very poor condition too. They’re cramming horses in. They’re not being taken care of.”
The center is looking to change that.“People know that if they have a Belgian to give us a call,” Waronker says.
Not all of the rescue stories are painful or disturbing. People call the farm, for instance, when they have horses they simply can no longer take care of for various reasons, like age and expenses. Waronker describes those as “the easy cases.” The center also houses about 25 mules and donkeys.
BraveHearts does more than just shelter the horses; it also works to rehabilitate and retrain them, preparing them for a different future, such as adoption for companionship. Bivens says there have been 23 adoptions over the past few months alone.
The center also hosts tours and a variety of events throughout the year, such as an open house in June and monthly veterans outreach programs, where former military members can spend a day with the horses on the farm.
It operates primarily from donations, and “every dollar goes to feeding and maintaining our horses,” according to its website. They hope to grow by installing a covered arena and an educational center. Bivens also floated the idea of holding summer camps and promoting education and awareness about kill pens.
“[We] want people to know not only who we are and what we do, but also that this entire problem exists out there,” Bivens says. “It’s this darker side of the horse industry that still a lot of people have no idea is happening.”
Coworkers and friends of Waronker have described him as committed to the work and passionate about the animals.
“Dave wants to save every horse on the planet until there is no animal left behind that is in need of anything,” board member Tatyana Matveeva says with a laugh.
“He’s got such a large heart for these big Belgian horses,” says Steve Rabbitt, another board member.
Matveeva says the key to running the operation is to do it from the heart, in a pragmatic and responsible way. “That includes a lot of details, [like] not only just trying to save as many animals as possible, but also doing it so that the ones we rescue are given the best possible shot at recovery, at a good life.”
Waronker hopes his center continues to gain more exposure—so he can save more animals. “This situation should be just about awareness and to share the name, share our business,” he says. “Because as more shares become evident, it gives us more opportunities to rescue more horses.”