An estimated 500 million donkeys, horses, and mules provide working animal services in developing countries, often in severe welfare-compromising conditions.
Working equid welfare in developing countries involves unique challenges where the animals' welfare and the livelihoods of the world's poorest people are inextricably linked. Interventions that improve equid welfare also improve productivity and the economic security of dependent families - creating sustainable welfare improvement rather than conflict between welfare and human welfare. The most effective approaches combine free veterinary access, harness design improvement, education, and community engagement, rather than advocacy approaches that don't account for economic realities.