How appropriate hoof care and farriery prevents the painful lameness that affects millions of working donkeys globally.
Hoof care is a welfare necessity for donkeys that, when absent, causes preventable lameness that significantly impairs working ability and causes chronic pain. The economic consequences of lameness for working donkey-dependent families compound the welfare harm to the animals themselves. The community-based farriery training model developed by organizations like the Brooke has demonstrated that welfare improvement through skills transfer is achievable in resource-limited settings. Training community farriers creates lasting welfare benefit rather than dependence on external service provision. Supporting these programs is one of the most cost-effective welfare interventions available for the tens of millions of working donkeys in developing countries.