One donkey leans their face into another donkey who is looking at the camera.

Our strategy

Creating a world where working animals have a life worth living.

Brooke's 2025 strategy - 'A Life Worth Living’

We’re delighted to present to you Brooke’s new 2025 strategy – ‘A Life Worth Living’. This strategy builds on the tradition, heritage and outstanding work that Brooke has achieved since 1934. But it also marks a bold, new level of ambition for the future of working horses, donkeys and mules and those who depend on them.

We must recognise the immense and critical part they play in the sustainable development of some of the world’s poorest countries.

All too often these animals are forgotten – their suffering neither seen nor heard. This must change.

Beyond freedom from suffering

We have evolved our vision as we want more for working animals than just the eradication of suffering.

This will be extremely difficult, but we owe it to all working horses, donkeys and mules.

We can’t do it without our amazing supporters. We will be the home for anyone who cares about animals and people.

Our mission

Our mission is to achieve immediate and lasting positive change to the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules and the communities that depend on them.

Our vision

Our vision is of a world in which working horses, donkeys and mules are free from suffering and have a life worth living.

Three goals

Over the next few years, we want to reach and improve the lives of more animals and their communities than ever before – and we’re focused on three goals that we believe can get us there.

Supporting equine-owning communities to thrive and become more resilient.

We recognise the huge interdependence of equids and the communities that depend on them. Working with, and in, over 7,000 communities worldwide, our holistic ‘One Welfare’ approach helps us to overcome the greatest barriers and root causes of poor equine welfare and deliver lasting change.

Some of the ways we will achieve this include:

Supporting the set up of equine welfare groups
Educating children on animal welfare
Training in compassionate handling, first aid and hoof care
Building shelters and water schemes
Supporting effective community emergency preparedness and disaster response
Influencing local animal health and welfare laws.

Making sure the needs of equids are covered in policy and practices at all levels.

We’re having a direct and sustainable positive impact on the lives of about 1.8 million equids through our community development programmes, but many more benefit from the work we do to integrate working animal welfare into global, regional, national and local priorities and policies.

Our plans include:

Campaigning globally on critical animal welfare issues, including the donkey skin trade crisis
Working with national and provincial governments to ensure that animal welfare laws are effective
Influencing key strategic partners to embed working animals into community development, livelihoods and farm systems.
Driving through improvements in exploitative industries, including brick kilns
Championing the One Health agenda, which focuses on issues such as antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases.

Meeting both the immediate and future needs of working horses, donkeys and mules.

Strong animal health systems are critical to the health and welfare of animals. They also play a critical part in reducing the likelihood of disease transmission between people and animals in a world where this risk – and the risk of antimicrobial resistance – is ever increasing.

Some of these immediate responses include:

Working to develop appropriate animal health systems at every level – and with an ultimate vision of Universal Health Coverage.
Scaling up and integrating good practice into bodies responsible for animal health systems (e.g. vets curricula).
Building on our flagship animal health systems and farriery mentoring programmes.
Stepping in to provide emergency medical treatment where no services exist to reduce suffering.

What we do

Brooke works with communities across the world to transform the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules. We drive lasting improvements in animal health and welfare through action, advocacy and education.

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A group of four donkeys eat green vegetation together

Policy and advocacy

Our team campaigns to change the lives of working animals and the communities that rely on them. See how our work is making an impact across the world.

Animal health at Brooke

Find out how we’re strengthening animal health systems to create sustainable change for working animals and the people who rely on them.

Four grey donkeys eat grass together in a field with trees in the background

Animal welfare at Brooke

At Brooke, animal welfare is about giving working horses, donkeys and mules a good quality of life – both every day and over their entire lives – by meeting their emotional, behavioural and physical needs.

Man stand with pony in front of mountain