A Russian horse breeder, a serf by origin, he managed the Khrenovsky Horse Breeding Farm and was the illegitimate son of the chief manager of Count A. G. Orlov-Chesmensky, Barkhatov. He was born around 1780 in the village of Ostrov and received his education at a local school.

Being a favorite of Count Orlov, he initially held the position of chief cashier and later became the chief clerk in the Moscow house where the count resided. Three years after the count's death, in 1811, his daughter, Countess Anna Alexeyevna, appointed him as the manager of the Khrenovsky Horse Breeding Farm, providing him with a high salary. He lived in a separate part of the count's house, the other part remaining for the countess and her honored guests.

During a visit to the farm in 1818, Emperor Alexander I awarded Shishkin a diamond ring and expressed a desire to free him from serfdom. After gaining his freedom, Shishkin continued to manage the farm until 1831. Countess Orlova-Chesmensky, appreciating the successful sale of her large estate Salma, gifted Shishkin 250,000 rubles in banknotes, acknowledging his contributions to this matter. Thus, he was financially secure and owned the Lovyanikovsky farm, where he established a small horse breeding farm. Later, this farm became known as the Alexeyevsky Horse Breeding Farm, which was purchased by the government in 1845.

Thanks to Shishkin's efforts and the application of new breeding methods, the Orlov trotter breed of horses was developed.

Since February 5, 1845, V. I. Shishkin was a corresponding member of the Committee of State Horse Breeding.

He passed away in 1845 at the Lovyanikovsky farm in the Bobrovsky district of Voronezh province.

The name of V. I. Shishkin is associated with the creation of the horse breeding complex in Khrenovo, designed by architect Zhilyardi.