World Horse Welfare is a UK-based charity working to improve the welfare of horses around the globe since 1927, with a practical approach using evidence and experience to deliver lasting change. Working horses are intrinsic to the livelihoods of millions of people in some of the world’s poorest communities, but their key role is often ignored.

 

Our international programmes alleviate the suffering of working horses throughout the developing world, empowering horse-owning communities to care for their horses in a welfare-friendly manner through shared expertise.

 

Working with local partner organisations, we currently run 15 projects in 13 countries: Cambodia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Lesotho, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Romania, Senegal and South Africa. Our development work reached over 15,000 working horses in 2015 and we seek partnerships and affiliations with organisations that share our interest in equine welfare and development to increase this number.  

• Empowerment: facilitating community development, promoting stakeholder buy-in and consensus. 
• Support: providing regular and long-term support to horse owners through guidance, clinics and workshops. 
• Livelihoods: promoting sustainable livelihoods by improving the welfare of horses used to earn a living. 
• Hands-on care: to alleviate horses’ immediate suffering. 
• Skills training: empowering local service providers with the skills to provide communities with quality and affordable services in horse care. 
• Capacity-building: innovative and responsible partnerships with in-country organisations, building their skills, capacity and resources to execute well-organised, fully accountable and rigorously evaluated projects. 
• Education: immersing animal welfare into school curriculums to establish long-term changes in attitudes and behaviour; collaborating with universities to raise standards of equine knowledge, skills and experience in graduate veterinarians and animal practitioners. 
• Collaboration: partnerships with local organisations and institutions ensure that solutions we propose are appropriate and sustainable; all stakeholders are considered and included in our work, including governments, NGOs, owners and service providers. 
• Global development: equine welfare is intrinsically linked to improving standards of food security, ensuring environmental stability, improving global health and minimising the risk and prevalence of disease.