Over 112 million horses, donkeys and mules work as draft animals in low and middle income countries. These animals are vital to the livelihoods of some of the world poorest communities, yet many suffer from preventable welfare problems.
Working equids in low-income countries occupy a position of profound economic importance and profound welfare neglect. For smallholder farmers and transport workers, a donkey or mule may represent the family livelihood — and simultaneously be chronically overworked, underfed, lame from untreated hoof problems, and galled by ill-fitting harness. The welfare failures are not typically from deliberate cruelty but from poverty, lack of knowledge, and absence of veterinary infrastructure. This creates an unusual alignment of welfare and economic interests: the same animal that suffers from harness sores, malnutrition and lameness is also working below its productive capacity. Interventions that address welfare — fit harness, adequate feed, hoof care, rest — simultaneously improve livelihoods. The most effective approaches combine direct veterinary treatment with training of local farriers, veterinary paraprofessionals, and owners, creating sustainable capacity rather than dependency on external provision.