Fly fringes fly off the shelves and raise thousands of pounds for horses in need
By Larissa Chapman
General news
06 February 2012 11:42
The generosity of people in the UK has been helping thousands of working horses in Honduras through World Horse Welfare’s Fly Fringe Appeal.
World Horse Welfare would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported their appeal which has now raised an impressive £8,134.86. More than 700 fly fringes have been sent in to Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton, Norfolk, and almost 900 have been purchased by members of the public.
The aim of the appeal, launched in March last year, was to provide some much-needed respite for the Honduran cart horses suffering from the swarms of relentless biting flies that plague them daily. When a team from the charity initially visited Honduras to assess the wellbeing of the country’s working horses, they found that nearly half of those in the city of San Pedro Sula had open sore wounds around their eyes caused by the aggravating flies.
Head of Programme Development at World Horse Welfare, Karen O’Malley said: “A fly fringe is a really simple solution that can bring instant relief by protecting horses against these insects, which can cause terrible sores around their eyes. Local horse owners have been really happy to receive the fringes, and they have been an invaluable tool in engaging owners with wider issues of horse care. Our International Training work is all about providing practical welfare solutions, and the fly fringes are a great way of demonstrating to owners that even such a seemingly small and simple step can make a big impact on the wellbeing of the horses they depend upon.”
Last summer the charity’s International team spent time in San Pedro Sula where they helped local horse owners correctly fit fly fringes to their horses. Jose from the city explains how much of a difference the fly fringe has made to him: “I am amazed that the people of the UK could be so kind to do this for the horses in Honduras. The fly fringe has helped to keep the flies out of my horse's eyes and will prevent them getting infected.”
The £8,134.86 which has been raised for the charity is a fantastic amount and will help World Horse Welfare to continue to improve the lives of thousands of horses each year in the UK and abroad.
In March 2012, they will be launching a new appeal which members of the public can get involved in to help the working horses in the Central American country Nicaragua.