THE Bendigo Pony Club is on a mission to save the lives of pyramid horses in Cairo, Egypt.
The club hosted a horse trials super clinic at the weekend and plans to donate proceeds from the event to the Cairo Farrier Project.
Bendigo Pony Club district commissioner Sue Foley said local vet and farrier Dr Jude Mulholland would visit Cairo next month and conduct clinics to help the horses.
“She’ll help educate the local farriers,” Ms Foley said. “They know nothing, it’s just horrible.”
Ms Foley said recent unrest in Egypt had caused a dramatic decline in the number of visitors to the pyramids.
As a result, the horses that tourists paid to ride to the pyramids had fewer customers.
Stable hands, farriers and feed merchants were struggling to make ends meet and hundreds of horses were starving, she said.
“They’re in poor condition and the state of their feet is terrible.
“I found out about it all through Facebook – a page called Prince Fluffy Kareem.
“They’re coordinating the project and, after Christmas, there was a post saying the knowledge of farriers over there was very limited and that they would be interested in finding someone with more knowledge.”
Ms Foley said many of the horses were suffering from laminitis and Dr Mulholland was an expert in this area.
“I rang Jude and she agreed in a heartbeat.
“Her motto is ‘I can and therefore I should’.”
Laminitis is the inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the hoof and is the second most common cause of horse deaths.
“There are pictures of the horses in Egypt on Facebook and some of them are just horrible,” Ms Foley said.
“The whole project really shows the power of social networking.”
About $1000 was raised at weekend horse trials and a super clinic at the Mandurang South Recreation Reserve.
“The use of the grounds was donated, which was great,” Ms Foley said.
“We always start our year with a fundraiser and the response from members to the Cairo Farrier Project has been brilliant.
“Pony clubs from all over Victoria supported the clinic.”
Contributions to the Fluffy Feet Farrier Project can be made directly into the Bendigo Pony Club account – Bendigo Bank BSB 633000, account number 100780162.
The club is not a registered charity and contributions will not be tax deductible.
People are asked to reference “Farrier Project” and their contributions will go towards improving hoof care, horse welfare and farrier education in Cairo
“After the cost of Jude’s plane ticket and travel insurance has been covered, contributions will be spent on purchasing farrier equipment in Cairo and on filming all of Jude’s clinics and work,” Ms Foley said.
“This will be edited into a DVD and translated into Arabic and then distributed free so the education will continue long after Jude returns to Australia.”
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