As the Official Charity for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 (WEG), international charity Brooke, Action for Working Horses and Donkeys, is launching an interactive experience in the World Equine Expo™ hosted at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) September 11-23, 2018, showing the reality of life for people and equines in South Asia’s brick kilns through 360° video presented in a circular, immersive room. Brooke USA, sister charity to Brooke, is raising funds through a newly-installed Brooke Breezeway onsite at TIEC, with engraved bricks humanely manufactured in the United States available for purchase in support of this effort at the Brooke USA Shop.
In the developing countries around the world, 100 million horses, donkeys and mules work alongside people in some of the most difficult environments. Brick kilns are perhaps the most punishing of these. With thick dust, temperatures of up to 50°C (122°F), and very little shade, animals suffer from breathing problems, injuries and malnutrition. The families that own and rely on these animals are often in bonded labor and have little access to vets, farriers, or first aid.
There are around 4.7 million equines in Pakistan, and in the film Brooke has captured what life is like for those in brick kilns. It follows a young couple, Waqas and Tayyba, who live and work on the site of the kiln with their baby, Sania Fatima, and rely on their horse, Raju, for work. Waqas and Tayyba work alongside 50 families employed to produce 45,000–50,000 bricks per day. There is pressure to overwork themselves and their animals, but Waqas and Tayyba know that overworking Raju can cause injuries and exhaustion, and if he can’t work, their family will suffer. Through guidance from Brooke vet officer Dr. Sabira Nazir, they’ve learned about animal care, preventing injuries and illness, and how to provide adequate water and food.
Attendees at WEG can see the film throughout WEG at the World Equine Expo™ daily September 11-23, and Brooke volunteers will be on hand to answer questions. The installation will be combined with the unveiling of the Brooke Breezeway, a commemorative walkway at TIEC comprised of bricks purchased and personalized by donors.
The Brooke Breezeway will be unveiled at the World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 and will perpetually honor the lives of working equines around the world and the welfare improvements made possible for them by Brooke and Brooke USA. Engraved bricks humanely manufactured in the United States will be sold throughout the duration of the World Equine Expo™ and WEG for insertion into the Brooke Breezeway, and are also available for purchase online at www.brookebricks.org.
Proceeds from the sale of Brooke Bricks will directly benefit many of the 380,000 horses, donkeys, and mules who work in India’s brick kilns – a particularly harsh environment for equines and their owners. Extreme temperatures, lack of shade, difficult terrain and overloading can cause suffering for horses, donkeys and mules. Brooke works in 3,245 brick kiln sites offering emergency veterinary treatment and vaccinations for animals, as well as training for their owners and service providers on topics such as injury and disease prevention.
The Brooke Breezeway will serve as a legacy of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 at TIEC, allowing all spectators the chance to take part in improving welfare for working equines around the world. Bricks can be ordered in memory or in honor of a beloved person, pet, favorite horse, company, to commemorate a special event such as a birthday or anniversary, or to give a company name and logo a permanent presence on this walkway.
To learn more about Brooke or Brooke USA, go to thebrooke.org or brookeusa.org.
About Brooke
Brooke is an international charity that protects and improves the lives of the working horses, donkeys and mules that give people in the developing world the opportunity to work their way out of poverty. Over 100 million of these animals are currently working worldwide, earning an income that around 600 million people rely on to put food on their tables, send their children to school and build better futures for themselves and their families. Sadly, many working horses, donkeys and mules are suffering, so Brooke works in more than 11 developing countries, with owners, communities, service providers, governments and international organisations to make long lasting improvements to the lives of animals and their owners.
Website: www.thebrooke.org
Facebook: thebrookecharity
Twitter: @thebrooke
Instagram @thebrookecharity
About Brooke USA
Brooke USA aims to improve the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people they serve throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need. In the past three years, Brooke USA has granted more than $1 million to Brooke’s international equine welfare programs. www.BrookeUSA.org
About the Tryon International Equestrian Center
Tryon International Equestrian Center at Tryon Resort, host of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, one of the world’s premier equestrian lifestyle destinations, with first-class facilities for all eight FEI disciplines. From carousel to competition, the mission of Tryon Resort is to celebrate the magic of the horse, grow equestrian sport, and increase access to this majestic animal. Tryon Resort is a spring, summer and fall haven for equestrian competitors and enthusiasts, and a year-round destination for connoisseurs of diverse cuisine and shopping, lodging getaways, and family entertainment. Learn more at www.Tryon.com.
About the FEI World Equestrian Games™
The FEI World Equestrian Games™, held every four years in the middle of the summer Olympic cycle, is the property of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar, combining World Championships in the Olympic disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, the Paralympic discipline of Para-Equestrian Dressage, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.
The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games™ were hosted in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990. Since then the Games have been staged in The Hague (NED) in 1994, Rome (ITA) in 1998, Jerez (ESP) in 2002, and Aachen (GER) in 2006. The first Games to be organised outside Europe were the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky (USA) 2010. The Games came back to Europe for the 2014 edition, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA), which attracted more than 500,000 on-site spectators and a worldwide television audience of 350 million, as well as delivering an economic impact of €368 million to the French economy.
The FEI World Equestrian Games™ History Hub can be viewed here.
For more information, visit www.Tryon2018.com and http://www.fei.org/tryon-2018.
