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By Christine Reix (Veterinary Clinical Training Advisor)
29 Jul 2010
I first heard about the Brooke when I was a young girl in the Pony Club. After fulfilling my life-long dream of becoming a vet and working with horses in the UK for four years, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with the Brooke at The University of Bristol looking into the causes of lameness in working horses, donkeys and mules.
Lameness in working equines is a massive problem, highlighted a few years ago by a survey funded by the Brooke, which looked at nearly 5,000 horses, donkeys and mules across five countries. The results showed 91% of animals were lame, ranging from mild to very severe. Lameness in working equines is a huge welfare concern as it is a sign of pain. It can also lead to pain in other limbs as well as beatings from the owners as the animals work more slowly.
The first time I went to work in one of the Brooke countries was in 2006, when I visited Delhi, India. I still remember visiting an area where working horses and donkeys were left for the night after a long days’ work in the city. There was a thin sliver of land next to an incredibly busy and noisy road with so many animals kept in such a small space. I thought after working as a vet for four years I was pretty tough and had seen all there was to ever shock me, but nothing prepared me for this sight. I was speechless and just walked around looking at these poor animals, thin and exhausted, with severe wounds and limb deformities. Most horses were tethered, still unable to rest properly at night due to the restriction of any freedom they might have. One poor donkey I did see - that wasn’t tethered - had simply collapsed to the ground to rest on the stone surface.
A particularly shocking sight was that of a “lucky” black horse, but I tell you nothing was lucky about this poor creature.
In this region, it is lucky for someone to have a horse-shoe from a black horse, so the terrible plight of black horses is that they continually have metal shoes nailed onto and pulled off their feet. This results in deformed and broken feet and animals in so much pain I can’t begin to imagine, and unable to stand normally.
This was the start of a four year study into lameness in working horses, donkeys and mules, which has taken me across Northern India from Delhi to Meerut, to Jaipur in Rajasthan, and across Pakistan from Peshawar to Lahore. I have examined over 2,000 animals and spent almost two years in those countries, living and working with the people and seeing these animals working to the maximum of their ability.
On a visit to a tented community in Pakistan I came across a small child whose father was a donkey owner. The community was one of the poorest and most marginalised in that society, living in make-shift tents, on land that they might be told to vacate at any time. The people earn money by collecting rubbish from around the city and selling what they can to scrape a living for their often large families - on average seven children.
Most of the children have no toys, no shoes and very little in the way of clothes but one particular child did have a toy – and a very unusual one in fact. The father of this child had made a miniature donkey cart which was the pride and joy of all the children in the community. The children played with this cart and pretended to be their fathers and older siblings filling the cart up with rubbish and pulling it around. They were in preparation for the job they would be taking up possibly from the age of 10, when their school education would finish and they would need to bring in some money for the family.
Sometimes I feel so helpless at all the sights I see, but then I tell myself that even if we each do a small amount then this will add up to making a real and significant difference.
Your comments
Really interesting and it makes me feel very sad to think of all the donkeys and horses (and people too) who struggle on day by day in very difficult circumstances. How do you work with their owners to change these situations for the better?
Christine Thank you for reading the story. Brooke employs local people in the animal-owning communities we work in to meet regularly with owners, talk to them, hear their problems and care for the animals. The Brooke-workers engage the owners in good practices with their horses, donkeys and mules, and how making small changes to the care of their animals can help their animals lives better, to be healthier and fitter for work, and help the families as well, in providing more income so their children can go to school and not have to work. Please continue to support the fantastic work the Brooke does in so many countries around the World.
Amit Dixit I have worked with Christine when she was working in Jaipur and I strongly feel that no one better than her can tell about the reality of things in case of equine lameness as she has seen it very closely. The things are quite alarming as she's described and need a prompt attention by supporters of Brooke worldwide and all others who have a heart for working animals.
As for Christine, hats off to the tireless efforts you've put in examining each and every horse and donkey in India and Pakistan. I have learnt much from you. But I regret that you never came to India during the 'mango-season'!!
Kate Melton I once rescued and nursed a horse with laminitis and know how he suffered and struggled, so to think of these poor horses and donkeys having to work whilst in such pain is heartbreaking. It is so nice that you are helping them. Everything you do counts, wish I could do the same.
Judith Boyle The terrible suffering and misery of these poor animals who have no choice makes me feel helpless and hopeless. I am glad to support a charity that can help in any way by education,kindness,compassion, to relieve the plight of these poor sad creatures. Reading that others feel the same as me helps!
Collette Caffrey Christine, this article almost brings tears to my eyes. I love donkeys and to me they are sacred ancient animals that have been the right hand of man over the centuries. I wonder if it's possible to engage these young people in craft work that they could sell? They could carve donkeys out of wood and paint them and then Brook could sell them on their website. The proceeds could be split between the families and caring for the local donkeys. It's sad to see quiet suffering of donkeys and thank you for continuing to protect and love them. May you be blessed by St Francis!
nancie crowther lets send dandy and body brushes,tack and hoofpicks; first aid boxes and educational books with pictures and practiacl demonstrations of equine welfare; show diagrams if each part of the body and the most vulnerable areas and encourage each country to train their own vets. Try to explain to each owner that just as they feel pain their equidae also feel pain and that pain will stop them working and by beating an animal it will only make the animal sicker. Ask them if they understand what compassion means towards one another and for their animals and then ask them if they understand the concept of love, or, tragically has life been so hard for them that these consepts nolonger exist for them?
A world wide 'pony club' concept, which would help to raise standards by example, but practised within the practical needs of each country ie. who has the donkey with the shiniestcoat; the best trimmed feet; without harness and saddle sores and is well fed and watered? We all have to learn somewhere! And we all make mistakes, but why after thousands of years,since before Christ, have all equidae been so abused across the world? Is there any hope for a happier future for them and their poor owners?
Anon I'm sure this will be a controversial comment.. but why do these families have so many children if they cant afford them? I understand it's every living being's right to have offspring, and if you need to work hard to support them, OK. But thats your choice. The animals have no choice. You say its not uncommon for families to have up to 7 children! In the UK, we have the same problem, people having children they cannot afford but we are lucky, they just claim benefits!!
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