Tihomirovy Fund

The Tihomirovy family - mama (Olga), papa (Mikhail) and three children (Mikhail, Darya and Anastasia) - could not think for a long time that their lives would be connected with horses. 

As all romantic girls, young Olga was dreaming to ride sometimes. But there was almost no horses in Irkutsk at that time, and she was busy with journalism job. 

But as soon as she learned about recently opened Riding school, she took three her children there. They were 7 to 13. Later Tihomirovy met Malakhovskie family of private horse owners - mother and daughter. Olga and Marianna Malakhovskie were truely passionate, and their horses were always clean, never hungry, very kind and tender. Despite they were doing usual ‘riding rent’, we could only learn the very best from how they treated their horses. This is how Tihomivory got their first skills in working with horses. This lead to the idea to create a small club, joining with Malakhovskie. This “niche” was free in Irkutsk. Darya Tihomirova started attending courses in local hippodrome. There was a lot to learn, so Olga herself decided to ride a horse too. She was amazed to find out how much better she started to feel immediately. It became clear that the direction of work should be helping people with disabilities. 

A bit later Darya and Olga visited Moscow to attend the seminar of British trainers of hippotherapie. The trainers not only demonstrated greatest skills but taught them to treat a horse as a partner. “The horse working in hippotherapie should be happy” - these words Olga remembered forever. 

In 2000 new social organization was created: Irkutsk Social Charitable Tihomirovy Fund of Treating Disabled Children with Horseback Riding. 

Thanks to kindness of the director of historical museum “Decabrists in Siberia” Evgeniy Yachmenev, the horses found their home inside the museum, near Volkonskiy house. This blessed place with little stable has become the starting point for the growth. 

With sponsorship help, two first horses were purchased from Malakhovskie, who could not participate by that time. Buyan and Pinki horses are still healthy and work with us. 

Working with disabled children has made it clear very fast - it is much more complex than Tihomirovy could ever imagine. It was very difficult from professional point of view, and it brought great social responsibility. 

It was also clear that this work could not make profit. Disabled children were and are still treated for free. But the results were so inspiring that there was no doubt - the idea was right. 

It should be noted that Irkutsk community reacted very actively and positively. Thanks to many journalists, the project was highlighted in the press, and a famous local newspaper “Chestnoe slovo” was dedicating the whole list of each issue to the Fund for some time! 

Over the time, people from hippodrome (where Darya attended the courses) started joining the Tihomirovy Fund, including Larisa Vlasenko - the only trainer in Irkutsk region with sports master dergee at that time. She gave a lot to Fund volunteers. 

Since the first days of Fund work, there is a lot of help coming from Oksana Shumilova - experienced rehabilitation specialist, taking a great interest in Fund idea and later becoming excellent riding trainer. 

We also need to thank Natalia Rakitina, young doctor who put a lot of effort to help the Fund, and many others! 

Year by year, all participants have been improving their experience and skills. Our workers constanly attend various courses in Moscow, St. Petersbourg, and Fund founders also invite foreign specialists to Irkutsk. 

The biggest problem has been, and still is, the lack of horse riding specialists in Irkutsk area. The only solution was to grow our own specialists. Olga and Mikhail had no choice but to build their own innovative business model, facing lack of money, resources and staff. 

Together with Main Administration of Education of Irkutsk Region and specialists of regional natiralusts club, Fund worked on developing such business model. After serious expertises, this project received status of Federal experimental area. 

After this job was completed, the organization had its own model of surviving and developing, which still successfully works and improves. The idea of this model is moving forward in all directions a the same time, and great motivating of all participants. 

The process is built in such a way that young people coming to work with horses are watching complicated but exciting process of treating disabled children, and get motivation to participate in it. This results in deeper self-evaluation of their activities, makes them work harder to improve their skills. This naturally leads to sports achievements. 

So, sports achievements of trainers motivate disabled children to succeed in their own sports programs. And it also helps them to fight their disabilities, because they clearly see it is possible to win. 

The great job has also been done on planning and building new Equestrian Center, because the historical museum “Decabrists in Siberia” could not fit the volume of job any more. 

Today, the team of Tihomirovy Fund is happy to work in new Equestrian Center in Granovschina village of Irkutsk region. And in winter time, they work in two places at the same time, Granovschina and historical museum! 

The organization is growing and helping more and more children, thanks to its sponsors and partners.

Visit Tihomirovy Fund Website for more info.