When I lived in Ghana in 2004-2007 and was on the Board of the Ghana SPCA, a small group of us got together to figure out ways we could improve the lives of Ghana's horses. At the time, it was common for owners to leave horses in grassy roundabouts, pegged to one spot without shade, without water, and without adequate food. They were left for days, even weeks pegged to one spot.
Another concern was that the racecourse and race stables were closed to make way for an international hotel, and the grooms and horses who had been staying there were left homeless, living on the street, under tarps, across from the construction site that was once their home. There was no place to graze, it was difficult to get clean water, and there was no place for exercise.
But trying to figure out what to do in these situations, and in a country where animal welfare is not considered a high priority and animal welfare legislation is extremely weak, was one of the most difficult animal welfare challenges. Working to improve the lives of dogs and cats was difficult enough. But working to improve the lives of horses seemed so much more complex.
Relationships between humans and horses are complicated, and there's no place more complicated than West Africa. Horses are prized in many ways, but in other ways, they're treated like inanimate objects with no feelings or emotions.
Horses in West Africa are used in ceremonies (see AKI Blog post, November 2024) and in polo and horse races, the police use horses, the army uses horses, and especially in rural areas, horses are used like donkeys to transport goods and people. They are also used in some urban areas for transport and to carry heavy loads, they are used to generate income (beach rides along Ghana's coast), and they are a sign of prestige. As useful as horses are, they are rarely well-treated.
Back in the early 2000s, our dedication and efforts had no lasting result for the horses, although we humans who were involved learned some useful lessons.
Now, almost 20 years later, AKI Partner, the Six Freedoms-Ghana (@thesixfreedoms), whose mission is to improve the care and welfare of horses, is taking a new, fresh approach that promises to improve the lives of Ghana's horses.
During the last few years of observing and engaging with Ghana's horse community while rescuing several horses, training many grooms, and providing sanctuary and vet care, 6F decided to create Care Teams. This approach seemed cost-effective while potentially having far-reaching impact.
Now that the Care Teams are up and running, they are visiting informal stables (essentially ramshackle structures, and sometimes no structures, where horses are kept) to check the condition of the horses, talk to the caretakers/grooms, identify the needs, and try to fill some of the most critical ones. The work of the Care Teams is also strengthening existing relationships with owners and grooms and is developing new relationships for 6F among Ghana's horse community.
Based on initial visits to stables, 6F identified farrier services and nutritional supplements as two of the greatest needs, ones that 6F could help fulfill, that could fairly quickly show positive effects, and that could cost-effectively and sustainably improve the lives of Ghana's horses.
Below are edited reports from Ulla (6F founder & director) that describe the benefits of the Care Team efforts, and also show the difficulties of working to improve the care and welfare of Ghana's horses.
CARE TEAMS: VISIT at TUBA STABLES
Eddie Yeboah [Horse Manager at Asafo, where 6F places their rescued horses] and I visited Aziz's stables to deliver their share of supplements and extra brushes and conduct a general check on their horses. Eddie talked with the grooms in the local language. He checked on their horses, all stallions and Eddie guided them on how to treat an injured front leg, prepare the bandages, and supply them with the necessary items.
Eddie guided them on the overall management of the stallions, particularly a horse named Good Name. He was being prepared for the upcoming first race of this season but was limping slightly and experiencing stiffness in his hindquarters. All their horses were relatively stiff, and Eddie encouraged them to take daily walks, build a paddock in their small compound, and clean out one of the larger rooms for the horses to use instead of keeping the horses in the small enclosures all the time.
The following day, they contacted Eddie because Good Name was still limping, and Eddie strongly suggested they postpone the race. However, Aziz disregarded this advice and took his horse to the race anyway. It was the season's first race, and Aziz's reputation was at stake--he wanted to show off his horse and he raced Good Name anyway. Good Name wasn't limping afterward, which means he was using painkillers to get Good Name through the race, an ongoing--and very difficult-- issue that 6F is working to address.
A HIGHLIGHT was the FARRIER STATION IN LABOMA
Professional farrier Moses organised everything in advance with a young farrier from Accra, Stevenson. They scheduled ten horses, five in the morning and five in the afternoon. Moses oversaw all Stevenson's work, but he aimed to delegate this task to the new, young farrier.
Jonathan's stallion Birthday Boy, who had already received some of our supplements, and Desmond's mare Divine with her young mare Luna received farrier services. The mare had saddle sores, a persistent issue with Desmond's horses; he claims that, due to financial difficulties, he needs to take them to the beach, where he makes money by selling rides, and the sores don't have time to recover (Eddie has given him advice about this). The other seven horses who received farrier services were: Wait and See, Silver Boy, Perfect, All Is Well, Hello, Pablo, Majesty, and Blackoo.
The farrier station and the supplements were greatly appreciated by everyone.
Sharing calcium mix with minerals, vitamins, and salt as a feed supplement
We started by sharing some supplements with four stables. We mixed the calcium with the local layer pre-mix, along with some enzymes that Eva L. approved as a well-balanced mixture to be fed with the calcium for optimum nutrient intake.
We selected the Kokrobite stable and three “new” stables in Accra for the initial shares. One of these three is Moses's stable in LaBoma.
I plan to share the supplements with at least two more stables soon, as I wish to maintain a small group to ensure the effectiveness and proper distribution of the supplements. It makes a significant impact and is greatly appreciated.
We also distributed fly masks to Moses's stables, which helped treat the infected eyes of a mare.
NEWS!! Dr. Enoch will commence sampling for cross-infection of parasites in horses and grooms
Seeing how the 6F efforts are paying off, more people want to come on board. Dr Enoch offered to do sampling at the stables where 6F has developed relationships to find out if parasite transmission is occurring from humans to horses and donkeys. Equine samples were taken from stool and skin scabs, and humans only from stool and the sweat on the palm.
Asafo was their first stop, where over 15 students joined. After the sampling, the horses got dewormer, some injectable vitamin B complex, and a pen strip, depending on their condition.
Dr Enoch also brought sampling teams to Aplaku, Kokrobite, and Tuba Stables:
Dr Enoch will provide us with the African horse disease and tetanus vaccine that we have been awaiting for nearly a year, and he will continue the sampling throughout the Accra area.
Farrier service and training in Tuba and Kokrobite
For these farrier services, Eddie was in charge and trained groom Cudjo, who is really eager to get trained by Eddie in hoof care! Even in pictures it’s obvious how he is completely focused on the work.
At Tuba, Eddie was able to help the black stallion Devine who had been limping on his right hind leg. Eddie opened an inner blood clot and cleaned the hoof.
Good Name's front leg was still sore. The lower leg injury then went upwards into a swollen shoulder, remaining as a big egg. Eddie took it out- he punched the skin until the pus flowed out and cleaned the wound with hydrogen peroxide.
A more miserable situation was the dumping site at Kokrobite: the horses still have huge open sores on their back and no feed, except grass. Groom Cudjo (with the patterned shirt) came with me to all the stables, and groom Andrews (younger groom with blue T-shirt) is also very eager to learn and improve.
The Care Teams are having positive effects as far as relationships we are developing, especially with the young grooms who want to learn and improve. AND they really welcome us and appreciate our care! Most important, we and the owners and grooms are seeing improvements in the condition of their horses.
I also left them horse gear donations, such as some head collars, reins and brushes. They will keep what they need, and we will later share the remaining with other stables.
The Six Freedoms: Improving the Lives of Ghana's Horses
In Ghana, so much of animal welfare is about relationships and building trust. That's just what 6F is doing, while also idntifying the most promising people in the horse community who can advocate and promote change to improve the lives of Ghana's horses.
The process may be slower than we wish, but it is happening! Finally!
The Six Freedoms is showing how it can be done and is actually doing it, and having results!