Due to the essential social distancing measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, many fundraising events, including the London Marathon,  have been cancelled or postponed.  This has had a huge impact on many charities.  The Brooke promote and protect the welfare of working horses and donkeys in the developing world, where the health, strength and fitness of these animals has a direct impact on the livelihood of their owners and communities.  As a horse owner and equine vet I feel passionate about equine welfare, and while we certainly have our own welfare issues in the UK they don’t come close to those in the developing world in terms of scale or severity.  The work of the Brooke is therefore essential, not only in improving the lives of the animals but those of their owners too.  Many  of the welfare issues arise due to lack of knowledge rather than cruelty; in addition to providing essential emergency veterinary care, the Brooke train and educate the owners and other members of the community in animal husbandry, veterinary treatment and disease prevention.  As COVID-19 spreads through the developing world, their work is as important now as at any time.