ACTT Naturally

ACTT Naturally’s off-track Thoroughbreds, Harlem Rocker and Three Lions, and the Saratoga Springs Regional YMCA Lend-A-Hand Camp_edited
ACTT Naturally’s off-the-track Thoroughbreds, Harlem Rocker and Three Lions, with partici- pants from the Saratoga Springs Regional YMCA Lend-A-Hand Camp. Photo Credit: Ashley Nizokek Photography
  • Services

    Sanctuary, Rehabilitation, Retraining/Adoption, Equine-Assisted

  • Location

    Greenwich, New York

  • Founded

    2013

  • Average Number of Thoroughbreds

    15-20

After 28 years as an exercise rider and assistant in top stables of the Thoroughbred racing industry, ACTT Naturally’s founder, Valerie Buck, has taken the same patient touch that she used to guide many champions through their morning workouts to helping off-the-track Thoroughbreds toward bright futures through retraining and thoughtful adoption.

We believe in the philosophy of working with horses based on the horse’s natural instincts and methods of communication. The result is confident horses that are better adapted to life after the track and with a wider scope of opportunities available to them.

Through our adoption process, horses are carefully matched with human partners to create lifelong partnerships.

ACTT Naturally’s Hearts in Harmony programs are geared toward helping humans, with the participation of our Thoroughbreds. Sensitive by nature, these horses enable self-reflection of our own energy. While the focus on these programs is toward veterans and their families, first responders, and teens, we believe that everyone can benefit. Mutual respect, healthy boundaries, self-confidence, empathy, and compassion are among the benefits gained from time spent working on the ground with our equine partners.

Now in our 12th year, ACTT Naturally‘s in Hearts in Harmony program has partnered off-track Thoroughbreds with U.S. combat veterans, Blue Star families, first responders and other victims of trauma to help heal the wounds of PTS. The thoroughbreds that come into the organization are trained using the techniques of natural horsemanship, helping them transition to new productive careers and to engage in the Hearts in Harmony process. By connecting with the horses, participants open their own emotional pathways to coping and healing. Partnered with our OTTB’s, a non judgemental safe space to express emotions freely without criticism or fear of rejection at our beautiful facility helps begin the healing process. Located in a serene and beautiful setting, Hearts in Harmony offers building blocks for better self esteem, trust, confidence, healthy boundaries, mutual respect, and social interaction with others who have been through similar experiences and understand the process.

“ACTT Naturally and Valerie Buck truly care not only about the racehorses that come through their doors, but the bonds that potential adopters have with those horses,” said Jackie Sears-Zaleski, who adopted Tiz Risky from the organization. “Valerie’s expertise and compassion for both horses and humans alike is second to none. She truly understands relationships and understands that they are para- mount in animal care.

“I will be forever grateful to Tiz Risky, ACTT Naturally, and specifically Valerie Buck for making this all happen and for giving racehorses a more-than-fighting chance after the track.”

ACTT Naturally is featured in “Fate of a Racehorse” a film about the lives of horses leaving the racetrack. The move stars James Stewart US Combat Veteran, who served in Baghdad, Iraq. James openly states that he owes his life to one of our OTTB’s, Budder (2004 KY Bred Three Lions -Hennessey/Beefeater Baby) Here is the movie trailer: https://offtrackfilm.com/

Success Stories