Top riders including Mary King and John Whitaker are lending their support in an effort to get a team of British farriers to Egypt.
Devon-based farrier Kris Parsons and his apprentices Alex Eltringham and H&H blogger Roland Thompson are travelling to Egypt to provide professional hoofcare to suffering horses.
More than 2,000 Egyptian working equines are suffering as tourism nosedives through a time of political unrest. This has left owners unable to earn a living to feed their horses.
But the team need to raise £2,500 to get to Egypt and have set up a Cairo Farrier fundraising appeal.
Those who want to help can bid for lessons with top riders including Mary King, Sharon Hunt, John Whitaker and Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks on a Facebook auction.
The team will provide urgently needed care and run workshops for existing farriers in thecity. They will be in Cairo for a week from 24 March.
Kris, from Axminster, has been a farrier for 13 years, but the trip to Cairo will be a first for him.
He said: “I’m a little bit apprehensive – but I don’t want to let the horses down. They are in such a state, both through poverty and the lack of knowledge of their owners. I want to help as many equines out there as I can.”
Roland added: “As an apprentice, it will be an amazing opportunity to see a whole other side of hoofcare – though I expect it may be hard to stomach at times.”
To donate, email cairo.farrier@gmail.com.
To bid for a lesson visit: http://www.facebook.com/CairoFarrier
The auction closes on Saturday (25 February) at noon.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (23 February 2012)
