Lukas
is a 17 year old Thoroughbred who failed at the track, was found starving in a
yard and who Karen
bought as a "green project
horse" at the age of nine. Lukas has since become one of the top
liberty performers in the country and he has attracted world-wide acclaim for
his cognitive tasks. Lukas:
Freely
performs the Spanish Walk, Passage, curtsey, bow, rear, sit, jambette and much
more without any force (Karen doesn't own a whip).
Can
identify letters, numbers and shapes, discriminate colours.
Understands
the concepts of object permanence, spatial relationships, proportion,
same/different and absentness.
Above all, Lukas and Karen's bond is their greatest joy - trust, love
and harmony are evident to all who see them together. Find out more at www.playingwithlukas.com
HorseWorld is the leading UK charity caring primarily
for horses, ponies and donkeys.
They rescue,
rehabilitate and re-home animals who have been abandoned, neglected or
ill-treated.
HorseWorld was set up in 1952 as "The Friends of Bristol Horses Society" in a campaign to
save the lives of working horses who were rapidly being replaced by motorised
vehicles in industry.
Under the banner of “Retirement
Not Slaughter” - for many were destined for the abattoir - it offered
a safe haven in Bristol for the big-hearted horses,
ponies and donkeys that had worked all of their lives on the railways, in the
dockyards, the coal mines, the armed forces and on the roads.
It works closely with partner organisations and
equine welfare charities to rescue equines-in-need, putting together
a tailored programme of rehabilitationbefore
seeking, wherever possible, tore-home
every horse with experienced & loving loaners.
HorseWorld retains legal ownership of every horse, pony or
donkey to ensure their continued welfare after they have been re-homed and the
Team are always on hand to provide any advice and support to the Loaner.
Rescued
horses and ponies have often suffered neglect or abuse and many show signs of
psychological or physical trauma. Because of this, each animal needs an
individual programme of rehabilitation which often includes veterinary
care, dentistry and farriery, as well as handling and training, to improve
their chances of eventually beingrehomed.
HorseWorld also works with:
Probation Service to provide hundreds of
placements for adults carrying out community service orders.
Groups of youth offenders regularly helping out at the charity’s equine
yard.
South Bristol CAF team in using a course in
equine care to help teenagers from
disadvantaged backgrounds and those excluded from school.
Discovery
Courses at HorseWorld
The horse is a unique, ideal tool to promote
emotional growth and learning in young people. Bringing horses together with
young people can have staggering results. The experience of Discovery
Course tutors working with young people shows:
Those who struggle to communicate can find
working with horses helps them learn about themselves, enabling them to interact
more positively with others
Those who find it hard to concentrate or to control their impulses can focus on
a horse for long periods while grooming or leading the animal
Withdrawn students often begin to express themselves, developing words or
gestures they haven’t previously used.
The positive influence
gained through contact with the horses is recognised by the many different
organisations and referral schemes seeking to place individual clients with HorseWorld - clients with a range of special needs, learning difficulties, mental
health problems and those recovering
from addiction.
I am interested raising awareness of and researching into the
unique partnerships of horses and people - horses that can assist, provide
therapy and help people. This website will explore the working partnerships of these
extraordinary equines. Contribute with your ideas and personal stories.
Alleviating Poverty
through Working Equine Welfare
There are an estimated 100 million
working equine animals in the developing world.
The Brookeis an international animal
welfare organisation dedicated to improving the lives of working horses,
donkeys and mules in some of the world's poorest communities.
The Brooke recognises that while working
equine animals play a key role in poor households, both for rural smallholders
and for families running small urban transport businesses, they are largely
invisible in international development policy and plans.
They are not included
with other livestock in agricultural and food security discussions, nor do they
feature in transport policy because they do not have a positive, powerful,
modern image.
Their economic value is hard to
articulate and they are not part of export or trade debates like cattle and
small ruminants. Where working animals do appear in government statistics, the
information provided is often unreliable, and research into working animals is
not well funded.
The Brooke wants to ensure that
working horses, donkeys and mules are recognised for the indispensable role
they play in the lives of poor people, contributing to the alleviation of human
poverty.
The Brooke hosted conference with
organisations from international development, animal welfare sectors,
policy making bodies, and animal welfare researchers.
