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CHRONOFHORSE.COM M AY/J U N E 2 015 141 USA officially launched on March 20 with a visit from the organization's presi- dent, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, to the new chapter's headquar- ters in Lexington, Ky. "We really exist to support the over- seas programs in developing countries," said Cindy Rullman, fundraising develop- ment manager of the U.S. chapter. "e job of Brooke USA is to let Americans know what we're doing and let them dis- cover what a truly unique organization e Brooke is." Unlike rescue organizations that take ownership of animals and rehome them, Rullman explained, e Brooke focuses on educating owners in developing coun- tries about practices that can extend the life and comfort of their animals. "Eighty percent of the welfare prob- lems are preventable," she said. "We're teaching them to pick out hooves, groom- ing, hygiene, rest, water, shade." And rather than parachuting in for- eign experts, e Brooke places a major emphasis on partnering with local veteri- narians to spread the message within their own communities. "ey know the people, the languages and the culture, and that helps with the success," Rullman said. "We are not expecting owners who are very poor to wait for shipments of products—we want everything to be locally sourced because everything needs to continue when we're gone." Sustainability is a vital piece of the puzzle because, on average, one equine provides an income for six people in devel- oping countries—not counting service providers like veterinarians and feed sup- pliers. "Everything we do in these countries is practical," Rullman said. "Once we feel they are comfortable and embrace the practices, we move into other communi- ties and start the process all over again. We go at the pace of each individual commu- nity, and then we phase out. It's a weaning process, and we go back for several years >> LEARN MORE: Visit The Brooke website at TheBrooke.org and The Brooke USA website at BrookeUSA.org. >> GET IN TOUCH: Contact The Brooke USA's fundraising development manager, Cindy Rullman, at cindy.rullman@brookeusa.org or call (859) 296-0037. >> GET INVOLVED: The Brooke USA is currently looking for donations and partners who are passionate about helping working equines around the world. Visit BrookeUSA.org/give- money to learn how a donation as small as $16 can purchase a grooming kit, $40 can fund a portable water trough, or $195 can stock an equine ambulance for two weeks. You can also put your shopping dollars to good use by donating to The Brooke via AmazonSmile and other select retailers. Learn more at BrookeUSA. org/shop. This Guatemalan family participates in programs sponsored by The Brooke to help keep their working horse Carmello healthy. to see if the welfare improvements are embraced through the generations." e vast majority of communities continue the practices taught by e Brooke, Rullman said, and make mea- surable improvements to their animals' welfare. In 2014, e Brooke officials estimated they reached almost 1.5 mil- lion equines, and they're on track to reach 2 million per year by 2016. To spread e Brooke's mission in North America, Rullman plans to spear- head grassroots fundraising efforts and launch awareness campaigns as well as identify partners interested in participat- ing in specific larger projects. "We are constantly pushing for- ward," she said, "always with the goal of reaching more animals and more owners for welfare improvement."

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