Wow what a week we've had!!
The first of our educational farrier training programmes is complete. We were unsure of what to expect, and all went in with an open mind and managed expectations.
The idea for this project was not to directly provide care to the ponies, (although we did where urgent and necessary). We wanted to teach the owners to be able to provide care to their ponies themselves. This is part of a long term goal to improve the working conditions of the horses on Gili Trawangan.
We know for a fact that many of the horse owners care very much about the welfare of their ponies, they just lack the education and tools to provide the ‘western’ standards of care that we, and most tourists, are used to seeing. This is often interpreted as ‘abuse’ of the horses.
What we achieved
The response we received was positive. Many horse owners were very keen to learn and get involved. Throughout the week, 12 locals received direct training, trimmed and shod their own horse. While this number doesn’t sound huge, each pony took around 2 hours. Every trim was overseen by our International team of professionals, and also required a translator in many cases.
Some of the locals had a basic understanding of trimming, while others had never even picked up a knife, but all of the ponies went away with a good trim, shoes were needed, and the drivers went away with a bit of knowledge. This is what we hope to build upon in the future.
The project seemed to gain traction throughout the week, with more and more horse owners arriving in the hope of receiving this new information.
What we can take away from this week is that there is most definitely a willingness to learn and that if we can provide the education and possibly help to provide the tools for the job, we will, in time, be able to improve the farrier care provided to the horses on the island.
In the future
We hope to continue this project with ongoing visits from volunteers who can build upon the basic foundations we have provided. The goal would be to set up one or two trained locals in a sustainable farrier business.
We also invited student vets from Undikma University to receive field training to further their studies.
A huge thank you to everyone who played a part in the project:
Animal Aid Abroad Animals Australia Balanced Veterinary Services Grant Forge & Farriery Gili Eco Trust Science at Melbourne Charles El-hage The Biomechanic Vet Kelvin Grove Equine BlueWater Express Gili Getaway Fast Boat @ingasiamisha
Not to mention ALL YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT via our GlobalGiving page. These funds are going so much further than our beloved Stud Rescue ponies, with visible momentum moving forward with valuable relationships with working horse owners to ensure all ponies on Gili Trawangan can get affordable and ethical care.
We hope that this approach will provide sustainable long term benefits for all of the horses on the Gili Islands/Lombok.
A note from the project coordinator
I’ve dreamed about this project for over 5 years but pregnancy, earthquakes and global pandemics got in the way.
The week was educational, stressful, exhausting and a lot of fun. A huge thank you to the dream team who have been behind this project before it even started. I can’t wait to see how far it will go!
Just by sharing our report, news, photos and fundraiser, you'll be helping spread awareness and care that these horses so desperately need.
