Staff from working animal charity Brooke(1) spent a week at Redwings Horse Sanctuary(2), sharing handling practices that put horses, donkeys and mules' experiences first.

On 18-22 August 2025, vets from Brooke’s country programmes and UK animal welfare experts were hosted at Redwings’ headquarters in Norfolk.

The week involved a tour of Redwings’ facilities, including the charity’s Horse Hospital and Behaviour Centre, demos, workshops and theory sessions.

Brooke helps ensure working animals are handled with care, working with animal health workers and owners across three continents.

Globally, there are over 100 million working animals and an estimated 600 million people who rely on working animals for their livelihoods. Compassionate handling is critical in giving these animals a life worth living and free from suffering.

Brooke has developed a Compassionate Handling Mentoring Framework(3) to help support handlers with the skills they need to work compassionately and effectively with horses, donkeys and mules.

Redwings is currently responsible for over 2,000 rescued horses, ponies, donkeys and mules across the UK. Their staff are experienced in working with equines with challenging behaviours because of their often-traumatic histories.

Jen Wathan, Global Animal Welfare Advisor at Brooke, said: “We’re so grateful to Redwings for allowing us to spend time with their in-house vets and behaviour experts, as well as their horses and donkeys.

“It was brilliant to see how they (Redwings) work with their equines, many of whom have had experiences that have significantly affected their behaviours, and learn how they manage these with compassion.

“It’s an experience our staff will take back to our country programmes, influencing animal health workers and owners and ultimately working animals across the world.”

“We hope they got as much out of having us as we got out of visiting them...and (using) their facilities as the backdrop for our Compassionate Handling International Workshop."

Nic de Brauwere, Head of Welfare and Behaviour at Redwings, said: "By the end of day one, we had already learned how similar some of the challenges are for equines who suffer from poor mental health wherever they are in the world, and that by understanding their behaviour we can give them a better life.”

“We have learnt so much by treating and training our rescued horses, and we're very happy to be sharing our experience to help more, in this case those who are working in some of the most challenging parts of the world.

“Brooke has led the way on influencing human behaviour change to improve life for horses and donkeys, and this week has been a brilliant opportunity for us to learn more about that from them, so that we might take that into our work here in the UK.”

Notes to Editors:

(1) - https://www.thebrooke.org

(2) - https://www.redwings.org.uk

(3) - https://www.thebrooke.org/our-work/animal-handling

Photographs from the week are available to download from this(https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Sb3qLl_A8barCk8xvdDWK3XYj8tUQIi?usp=sharing) link.

For further assistance, please contact Redwings’ Senior Press Officer Leanne Plumtree on 07825 148879 or email lplumtree@redwings.co.uk or Brooke, Action for Working Horses and Donkeys’ Media and Mobilisation Officer, India Hurford-Jones on 020 7653 5885 or email India.Hurford-Jones@thebrooke.org

About Brooke:

Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys is a U.K. based, global animal health and welfare charity that gives working horses, donkeys and mules a life worth living.

Over 100 million of these animals pull carts, carry goods and work the land, earning an income that around 600 million people rely on to put food on their tables, earn a living and send their children to school. Sadly, many of them are suffering, so Brooke works with owners, communities, service providers, governments and international organisations to make long lasting welfare improvements.

Brooke was founded in 1934 when Dorothy Brooke, a British woman, sought out war horses that had been left in Cairo after the First World War. With support from an appeal letter in the Morning Post newspaper, she set up the Old War Horse Memorial, which became Brooke, and expanded across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Website: www.thebrooke.org

Facebook: thebrookecharity

Twitter: @thebrooke

Instagram @thebrookecharity

About Redwings:

A registered charity, Redwings Horse Sanctuary was established in 1984 and celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. It has grown to be one of the largest horse welfare charities in the UK, working to save horses, ponies, donkeys and mules whose future would otherwise be bleak. Redwings is currently responsible for over 2,000 rescued horses and donkeys across the UK, including 700 living out on permanent loan in Guardian homes.

To find out more, visit www.redwings.org.uk, or follow Redwings on Facebook (/RedwingsHorseSanctuary), Twitter (@RedwingsHS), Instagram (redwingsuk) and TikTok (redwingshorsesanctuary). #LoveHorsesLoveRedwings #ForTheLoveOfTheHorse.

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