Working Horse Nutrition in Developing Countries: Welfare Challenges

Working horses, donkeys, and mules in developing countries often suffer significant welfare deficits due to inadequate nutrition and overwork.

Key Facts

An estimated 100 million equids work in developing countries, many in agriculture, transport, and construction.
Body condition scores below 3 (on a 1-9 scale) are common in working equids in low-income settings, indicating chronic undernutrition.
Poor nutrition reduces work capacity, increases injury risk, and shortens working lifespan.
Organisations such as the Brooke and SPANA provide field-based nutrition education for working equid owners.
Access to adequate forage, clean water, and basic veterinary care are the primary welfare needs.
Community-based animal health worker programmes improve nutrition knowledge at scale in remote areas.

Welfare Considerations

Working equids in low-income settings experience cumulative welfare deprivation: undernutrition, overloading, inadequate veterinary care, and poor shoeing or harnessing. Improving nutrition is the single highest-impact intervention because it affects work capacity, immunity, reproductive success, and welfare simultaneously. Community education, subsidised feed access, and linking nutrition to owner livelihoods are the most effective sustainable approaches.

What You Can Do

Donate to the Brooke or SPANA, which support working equid welfare in developing countries.
Support organisations training community animal health workers in equid nutrition and basic care.
Advocate for inclusion of working animal welfare in international development aid programmes.
Choose fairly traded products from regions where working equids are used in production.