sport horse snippets
An International Equine Charity Receives a ‘Jewel’ of a Boost by Anne Lamoriello
H
orses, donkeys and mules, by their very kind nature and willingness to serve, have long been recruited into wartime duty, especially in World War I, which
found them toting supply wagons over harsh terrain, hauling artillery up and down hills in the worst possible conditions and serving as trusted mounts for the cavalry. What became of those animals, the ones that survived the war? Many were abandoned and many more were sold to other countries into a life even worse than the war. Already in poor health and malnourished, the ani- mals were purchased by owners who were poor them- selves and had few resources to properly care for them. One determined woman worked to change all that.
Dorothy Brooke, born into Scottish aristocracy, was a life- long animal activist—especially where horses were con- cerned. Newly married, she accompanied her husband, British cavalry officer Brigadier Geoffrey Brooke, on a trip to Cairo, Egypt in 1930. There she was appalled at the plight and sad condition of thousands of aged, ex-cavalry horses, donkeys and mules. Determined to make life better for the animals and
their owners, Dorothy returned to England and immedi- ately engaged in a rigorous fundraising campaign, even writing letters to British newspapers, exposing the suf- fering of these animals and appealing to the public in an effort to raise funds to help them. The support she received was overwhelming. In 1933, she set up a committee to raise funds and they purchased 5,000 animals, many of them in such poor health that they had to be humanely euthanized. In 1934 she doubled her efforts and established the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital, still in existence today, to provide free veterinary care for all the working horses and donkeys of Cairo. “She is such a fine example of what a difference one person can make,” says Cindy Rullman, fundraising de- velopment manager of American Friends of the Brooke, which is located in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Brooke is the international organization that carries on Dorothy Brooke’s vision, working to improve the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules across the devel- oping world. Cindy explains that the original concept blossomed into programs helping poor communities around the world by providing treatment, training and programs for these animals’ health and wellbeing. Fast forward to 2013, when a New Hampshire woman began adding a little bling to the organization’s fundrais-
86 March/April 2014
ing effort. Dres- sage rider Irene Greenberg, who competes with her Hanoverian and trains with Canadian rider Shannon Dueck, creates sterling silver, one-of- a-kind equine jewelry at her company called Eye Gee Designs. Irene began donating 25 percent of the proceeds from each jewelry sale to the American Friends of the Brooke. “I have had a bunch of creative careers,” says Irene,
Top: Dorothy Brooke in Cairo with aban- doned war horses. Bottom: Dorothy Brooke’s first rescued war horse, Old Bill.
“but two or three years ago I decided to put my energy full time into designer jewelry. As soon I as heard about the Brooke, I e-mailed the organization in England and said I wanted to donate part of my sales to the organiza- tion.” They put her in touch with Cindy and now each time anyone purchases a piece of Irene’s beautiful jewelry via the American Friends of the Brooke website, they help to fund programs for the welfare of horses, donkeys and mules in 11 countries. “There really are so many very good equine organiza- tions out there, but the thing that sets the Brooke apart for me is that we provide solutions, long term solutions to the problems facing these animals,” says Cindy. The Brooke enlists the support and help of local veterinarians, she explains. That’s because, she continues, they know the people, the language and the culture already. That
Both photos ©The Brooke
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100