Global Farriery Project
Brooke’s new Global Farriery Project aims to transform the farriery trade in low- and middle-income countries and make lasting improvements to animal welfare ensuring that healthy and happy working equids can continue to support communities’ livelihoods.
The problem
Lameness is one of the most common welfare problems in working livestock in low and middle income countries. It is a major source of pain and severely compromises welfare. In a research study conducted with communities we work with in India and Pakistan we observed that 100% of animals suffered from lameness and foot defects. If an animal is in poor welfare and poor health, it cannot work to earn income which families’ livelihoods depend on.
In low and middle income countries, farriery is an unrecognised and unregulated industry. No training institutions exist and there are no professional standards for practitioners. Practising farriers are poorly trained, have limited access to equipment and suffer a low status in the community. As a result, few young people in rural areas where need is the greatest choose to become farriers.
The solution - Our approach
Brooke has launched the Global Farriery Project in order to raise the profile of farriery as a trade, to encourage development of professional standards, and as a result to improve hoof health for millions of animals and support sustainable livelihoods for millions of families.
Our vision is that farriery becomes a recognised, respected and regulated profession worldwide. In rural communities that we work with, we believe that this will translate into a life worth living for animals and a job worth having for young people.
What we are doing
Brooke has been supporting farriers for many years. The Global Farriery Project builds on our earlier successes with a new approach that will:
- Develop a mentoring framework to help professional development of farriers
- Train farriery trainers to become mentors in their communities
- Produce learning resources for farriers and those training them
- Raise the profile of the farriery trade worldwide
- Support governments and training institutions to set up national farrier training programmes
- Work with communities to build links between them and well trained, trusted farriers.
For world Youth Skills Day 2021, meet Moussa, a young farrier taking part in Senegal's first government accredited farriery course, run by Brooke and its partners.
How Brooke is Raising Standards in Farriery
This short documentary shows the journey of Muhammad in Sahiwal, Pakistan from being a street farrier to a Brooke-trained farrier, and how he has changed his behavior to adopt best practices, and now he is the catalyst of change in the area.