There are roughly 15.5 million equids in Europe and the United States combined. These animals take part in the many equestrian sports and activities that have developed, and most enjoy good nutrition and care.

In contrast to this, there are more than 100 million working equids in the developing world. More than 95% of the world’s donkey population and 60% of the world’s horse population is found in the developing world.

Proportion of the world’s equids working in the developing world
Equid	Number	Percentage of total world population
Horse	55 million	84%
Donkey	41 million	98%
Mule	13 million	96%

These vast numbers of working horses, donkeys, and mules play a crucial role in both urban and rural areas providing agricultural energy, transport, and, in many cases, the sole means of generating income for their owners, many of whom live in poverty. It is estimated that working animals are responsible for 75% of the traction energy (pulling power) in the developing world, while a staggering 50% of the world’s population depends on animal power as its main energy source.

While healthy, well-managed equids are assets, many owners are unable to access information about animal care and are often remote from any form of veterinary care.

It is a sad reality that 98% of the world’s equine vets treat only 10% of the world’s equines.

The welfare of working equids in developing countries is crucially important, not only for the health and survival of those animals but also for the livelihoods of people dependent on them. For example, the death of a mule–equivalent to a year’s wages–can spell financial ruin for the owner and further poverty for a family.

Why do these Animals need Veterinary Care?

Working equids are affected by many of the same diseases and injuries common in the developed world. Additionally, animals working on busy roads and building sites, often malnourished and in poor condition, are subject to a myriad of other injuries not often encountered in other parts of the world.

Common problems in working animals include wounds, saddle and tack sores, lameness, fractures, eye problems, goading injuries, road traffic accidents, foot and farriery problems, parasites, and colic.

Educating Owners

Better education for owners is a critical part of improving the welfare of these animals. Often the owners are illiterate and lack any formal education. Their animal husbandry knowledge comes from tradition passed down through the ages. Sadly, some of these traditions can be catastrophic for their animals, doing more harm than good.

Simple initiatives, such as providing posters illustrating how to treat simple ailments, can have a huge effect on animal welfare. Similarly, encouraging visits from school groups is an excellent way to educate people on good equine husbandry practices.

Animal Care in Egypt (ACE)

Recently, I was fortunate enough to visit a charity hospital for working equids in Luxor, Egypt, in order to run a course on the treatment of wounds for the Egyptian vets and to work with them in their hospital. This course was generously sponsored by the British Equine Veterinary Association Trust and is the first of many such courses which will be run for local vets in Egypt.

Animal Care in Egypt (ACE) was opened in July 2000 by two animal lovers who had initially visited Egypt on holiday. They were so distressed by the condition of the horses and donkeys they saw around Luxor, that they decided to do something to help. ACE started as a simple idea to give these animals a break from their long working days in the hot sun–somewhere they could have a drink, have their tack removed, and get a wash to keep the dirt and sweat under the tack from creating sores.

ACE has now evolved into a fully functioning veterinary hospital with up to 200 animals visiting a day. Most of these require some sort of medical attention. There are 27 stalls for inpatients and an outpatient area where animals come to be treated.

ACE has three Egyptian vets and is visited regularly by other vets from around the world. There is also a group of volunteers. This dedicated and hardworking team provide vital care.

Arrival in Egypt

Leaving Glasgow on a freezing December morning and arriving in 25°C (77°F) Luxor, I just didn’t know what to expect. I had filled my bags with as many bandages, syringes and other medical supplies as I could pack in, leaving very little space for my clothes!

On approach to the hospital, a queue of horses and donkeys had already formed. The three Egyptian vets and a volunteer from the UK were already hard at work and I quickly realized that despite my 10 years of experience treating horses and many specialist exams, this was going to be a steep learning curve. Many of the animals were suffering from severe injuries, and a lot of these were clearly long standing and chronic. A number were suffering from conditions that back home in Scotland would have necessitated euthanasia long ago. To make things worse, many of the conditions were either new to me (not reported in the veterinary literature), or had been consigned to the veterinary history books.

My first case was a mule that had been caught up in a burning barn. He had severe burns over 75% of his body and was urgently in need of pain relief and lifesaving fluids. The burns were severe enough to cause difficulty breathing. This was treated with anti-inflammatories. Despite his severe illness, “Crispy the Mule” as he became known, was a tough character and fought us every step of the way to recovery.

As my time in the hospital went on I treated severe wounds, animals with longstanding fractures, cases of severe parasitism, and colic. Together with the Egyptian vets we performed a number of surgical procedures, often on a mat outside–a far cry from the operating rooms at the Weipers Centre Equine Hospital in Glasgow where I usually work!

A large number of cases had saddle and tack sores. These wounds can be caused by ill-fitting “home-made” tack and due to the fact that many of these animals are grossly underweight. Most of these animals just need some time off work to allow these sores to heal, but unfortunately it is difficult for owners to rest their horse, donkey or mule, their only source of income. I spent a great deal of time cutting sections of foam to place around the sores and handing out saddle pads (donated by horse owners from around the world) to allow these sores to heal while the animal continues to work.