Roles of working horses, donkeys and mules
Equine animals are used for domestic and commercial purposes. They work while enduring physical or emotional welfare issues that can go unnoticed and untreated if the skills and resources required to help the animal are not available.
Domestic
Working donkeys, horses and mules in domestic roles are not used to earn an income. They do, however, contribute to the household economy by saving time and transport costs. Their role is to transport household members and/or their goods and help families with household chores and labour such as fetching water and firewood.
Commercial
Working donkeys, horses and mules in commercial roles earn an income for their owner or user. They provide pack and cart services within industries such as agriculture, tourism, transport, garbage management, construction and the transport of goods. They may do this work in addition to domestic use.
Brooke's role in the responsible use of animals
We work to ensure animals are cared for, managed and used with respect to their welfare. Sadly, animals do suffer from welfare issues as a result of their contribution to society. We develop capacity and mobilise resources in all of the locations in which we work to improve the welfare of working equine animals now and in the future.