To mark this year’s Remembrance Sunday, The Brooke has created a video to recognise the sacrifice of equines in war.
In the short film, one of the charity’s ambassadors, Major Richard Waygood reads the poem ‘A Soldier’s Kiss’ by Henry Chappell, accompanied by images of some of the first horses rescued by The Brooke’s founder. These were former First World War army horses that had been sold to Egypt.
A spokesman for The Brooke said: “One million horses were taken to France from Britain and only 62,000 were brought back.”
Dorothy Brooke started her mission to rescue horses after witnessing, in 1930, what remained of the World War One army horses that had been sold into bondage in Egypt.
She wrote many letters to the British press that raised the funds to rescue 5,000 former British army horses. They became the foundations of The Brooke today.
Brooke ambassador Richard Waygood MBE is a former riding master for the Household Cavalry and is the team manager for the British dressage team.
Richard said Remembrance Sunday was an opportune moment to think of horses past and present caught up in pain and conflict.
“On this Remembrance Day, we here at the Brooke would like to remember those horses that served throughout the First World War, only to be left behind in Egypt, never to see their homeland of Great Britain again,” he said.
“After untold amounts of suffering, the pain of these horses was first recognised by Dorothy Brooke who set up a charity to rescue and rehabilitate these half-dead animals.
“Today, we would like to pay tribute to our humble beginnings, to Dorothy and her horses, and pause for a moment to remember those equines that are still caught up in suffering and conflict around the world today.”
Visit www.thebrooke.org
