Hearts Alive Village horse sanctuary set for expansion

Hearts Alive Village is set to expand its 15-acre horse sanctuary with the addition of new facilities, following a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday.

The Las Vegas nonprofit announced plans to add an 8,400-square-foot barn with 10 horse stalls as well as an indoor arena and an area for medical care.

“We prioritize the rescue and rehabilitation of the most at-risk horses,” Hearts Alive Village founder and Executive Director Christy Stevens said in a statement. “Our ultimate goal is adoption, but they have sanctuary with us no matter how long that takes.”

The sanctuary, west of the Skye Canyon community, already has 12 horses and eight goats, but the organization’s construction plans will allow it to add 10 horses. The nonprofit estimates the barn will take about two months to complete.

Stevens said the nonprofit is also seeking to raise $1.5 million to reach its “dream status,” which would allow for up to 48 horses to stay at the sanctuary. So far, the nonprofit has raised $600,000, according to Stevens.

Stevens said the costs for supporting a horse can add up to $3,000 a year. A report from the Equine Guelph Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada estimates that boarding fees for a horse can range from $3,600 to $6,600 per year.

She said the horses at its sanctuary are typically those that have been abused or neglected or whose owners can no longer afford to keep them.

“We focus on the most vulnerable horses that won’t have options elsewhere,” Stevens said.

Veterinarian Wyatt Winchell of Desert Pines Equine Hospital, who advises Hearts Alive, said the horse sanctuary will “fill a huge resource gap for horses here in Las Vegas.”

“We have needed a solution to support those who’ve fallen by the wayside due to the financial struggles of their owners. We are thrilled to be involved in the beginning of a new endeavor in stewardship and care for these vulnerable horses,” Winchell said in a news release.

Hearts Alive started in 2013 and has created a number of programs and facilities geared to animal rescue and rehabilitation. The nonprofit opened the Cat Cafe and Lounge, near Bonanza High School, earlier this year and operates a low-cost veterinary clinic and a pet food bank. And its horse sanctuary began operating in 2021, according to Stevens.

But the organization has plans to help even more animals. It’s also looking to create a space to help rehabilitate dogs who react negatively to living in animal shelters and develop poor behaviors.

“We have a lot of work to do to see if we can make zoning possible but we’d like to make it on the 5-acre parcel that is in the front of the horse property,” she said.

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on Twitter.