American Friends launches in North Carolina

Equine welfare not for profit organization American Friends of the Brooke launched in North Carolina this week. (see a collection of photos from the launch)

American Friends aims to raise awareness for horses, donkeys and mules in tough working environments overseas, such as brick kilns, quarries and timber markets.

Jim and Bernadette Cogdell kindly hosted a private reception at their home Fork Farm Stables in Norwood and Effie Ellis opened her home to friends in Southern Pines.  Brooke Ambassador Major Richard Waygood, former Riding Master of the Household Cavalry and Chef d’Equipe to British equestrian teams talked to guests about his personal experiences of visiting the Brooke’s work in the brick kilns in India. 

Through these events the Brooke was able to introduce its work to a new audience of equestrian enthusiasts and help to raise the profile of American Friends of the Brooke in North Carolina.

“Having been intimately involved with The Brooke for 40 years, I am delighted to participate in the next phase of our expansion, this time into North America with the launch of American Friends of the Brooke,"  said David Jones chair of the board and director of the North Carolina Zoological Park.

"The need to provide help to working horses,mules and donkeys and through that to the worlds poorest families is as great today as it was those 40 years ago. As we aim to double the number of animals we currently help to 2 million, we want to excite and engage our American Friends in that ambition.

"The launch enabled us to tell the Brooke story and to demonstrate how important our work is in a world that desperately needs solutions both to  better welfare for working animals and to improving the lives of those millions of people who depend on them. We believe that with the help of our growing family of friends and supporters in North America we can achieve that target.”

American Friends is a sister charity of the Brooke and supports veterinary teams and community education work in Asia, Africa and Latin America. This year, the Brooke helped more than 900,000 horses, donkeys and mules.

Missy Rankin, also a trustee, from Ashboro, said she was looking forward to American Friends growing. “When animals are well and prosper, so do owners, families and communities who depend on them for their livelihoods.”

In Guatemala, veterinary teams work with horse owners in coffee plantations in the highlands, in India and Egypt, they visit brick kilns where horses transport bricks from the moulding yards to the firing kilns, several times a day. Work includes training farriers and saddlers to improve their skills alongside community education sessions teaching people to improve the welfare of their animals.

If anyone else is interested in hosting a similar event or would like to link with American Friends of the Brooke please get in touch at info@thebrooke.org