Throughout my veterinary career I have had many opportunities to volunteer in developing countries all over the world. As a veterinary student I participated in small animal wellness and sterilization campaigns in Mexico, Thailand, and the Apache Reservation, as well as a sheep and goat herd health project on the Navajo Nation. I found the volunteer work in underserved regions to be very rewarding, and a highlight of my life. When I moved to Steamboat, I was lucky enough to meet Annie Henderson, who is the director of Equitarian Initiative (EI), a non-profit organization that provides veterinary care to working equids in developing countries throughout Latin America. I became involved in the organization as a volunteer and participated in a trip to Costa Rica in 2024.
I recently participated in another Equitarian Initiative trip to Honduras. The team consisted of 6 foreign volunteer veterinarians, 2 Honduran veterinarians, farriers and members from a local equine welfare non-profit, and 18 Honduran veterinary students. We traveled to 5 different underserved communities and treated about 200 horses, mules, and donkeys. Our tre
atments included vaccinations, deworming, wound care, dentistry, castrations, and internal medicine. Some of the communities were very remote, requiring a paddle boat river crossing and hiking over a mile to get to the work site. These working equids are vital to the livelihoods of their people, as they are used mostly for agriculture and transportation. Overall the conditions of the horses are quite rough. Especially in the urban regions, most are fed corn scraps and “graze” on roadside grasses, picking between piles of burning garbage. Many of the underweight working horses have remarkable pressure sores along their backs from inappropriate tack and pulling heavy carts. The limitations in resources and lack of access to veterinarians in these regions is due to poverty, remote locations, and a nationwide shortage of trained equine vets. It is a stark change from the Steamboat bubble we live in, and puts into perspective how much help is needed around the world.
I plan to continue volunteering with the Equitarian Initiative through participation in trips at least once a year. What sets EI apart from the rest is the commitment to providing sustainable equine care within the local communities. Every project is coordinated with local veterinary schools, equine welfare groups, and in-country veterinarians to ensure that the care provided is grounded on community and student education, and does not displace any local veterinarians. If you want to learn more about the organization and donate to an extremely good cause, I encourage you to check out their website! https://equitarianinitiative.org/
