Working Horse Welfare in the Global South: Progress and Priorities

An estimated 100 million working horses, donkeys and mules provide essential transport and labour for rural communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Their welfare is among the most underserved priorities in animal welfare globally.

Key Facts

Working equids carry loads, pull carts and plough fields for hundreds of millions of people in low-income regions
Common welfare problems include overloading, ill-fitting harness causing chronic sores, and lack of veterinary care
The Brooke estimates that 85% of working horses, donkeys and mules experience at least one welfare problem at any given time
Community animal health worker programmes provide basic veterinary training to remote communities, reaching animals that would otherwise receive no care
Programmes that engage community members as welfare champions rather than imposing external standards are most effective

Welfare Considerations

Working equid welfare represents one of the largest welfare gaps in the world. The intertwining of human poverty and animal welfare means that effective interventions must address both. Organisations like the Brooke, SPANA and World Horse Welfare work specifically on this intersection, providing veterinary training, community engagement and advocacy for policy change in high-burden regions. Improving equid welfare improves owner livelihoods, and improving owner livelihoods enables better equid care.

What You Can Do

Support the Brooke, SPANA or World Horse Welfare through donations
Learn about the working equid welfare crisis and share information to raise awareness
Advocate for international development funding to include working animal welfare
Engage with tourism operators in regions with working equids to ensure welfare-assessed animals only
Support community animal health worker programmes