Dressage stars Charlotte Dujardin and Alice Oppenheimer will be visiting Ethiopia this month to see the work of an equine charity first-hand.
Olympic gold medallist Charlotte and grand prix rider Alice will be in Africa from 24 – 30 October.
The trip will be the second time Charlotte and Alice have seen Brooke’s work, as both visited the charity’s programme in India in October 2015.
In India they met equine welfare groups, visited brick kilns and saw thousands of horses, donkeys and mules being bought and sold at an equine fair.
“My first trip with Brooke to see the work in India was an eye-opening experience for me,” said Brooke global ambassador Charlotte.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions, seeing the sheer scale of welfare issues and the level of suffering alongside the incredible achievements of Brooke’s teams to improve the lives of horses, donkeys and mules.”
With approximately nine million horses, donkeys and mules, Ethiopia has the third largest equine population in the world.
These animals play a crucial role in the national economy but live under harsh conditions with a life expectancy of just a third of what would be expected in the UK.
On the trip, Charlotte and Alice will meet urban “gharry” horses, who work day in day out as “town taxis”.
“They are a particularly stark example of the suffering Brooke is working to prevent,” said a spokesman for the charity.
“They will see first-hand the difference that Brooke is making, meeting the passionate Brooke Ethiopia field staff, trained local vets, farriers and harness makers who are working hard with local communities and service providers to bring about long-term change.”
Continued below…
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro: in pictures
To celebrate Charlotte receiving the Reem Acra Best
Charlotte Dujardin and Uthopia win on debut
Carl Hester's Olympic ride Uthopia was back in
Alice Oppenheimer sits tight on winning lap of honour at Windsor [PICS]
Alice managed a “tactical dismount” on her lap
Charlotte became Brooke’s global ambassador in February 2015, and as well as raising vital funds for them, has been supporting the charity at events and campaigns.
This year she has supported Brooke’s How the Other Horse Lives campaign, and My Hackathon, a fundraising activity for riders across the UK.
Footage and stories from the trip will be published on Charlotte, Alice and Brooke’s Facebook pages.
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