Working Equids: Socioeconomic value and welfare education
Find out how our scoping review of the socioeconomic value of work equids and the impact of education is supporting communities globally.
Author: Alana Chapman
Last updated: 6th May 2026
Overview
Working equids – including working horses, working donkeys, and working mules – are vital to livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There are an estimated 120 million equids globally, with the majority used for work in agriculture, transport, tourism and domestic labour. Working equids help generate income, reduce physical labour and support household and community resilience.
Despite their socioeconomic importance, working equids often experience poor welfare and remain under-recognised in policy, development, and funding decisions. Improving working equid welfare is therefore both an animal welfare issue and a development priority.
World Horse Welfare collaborated with Dr Amelia Cameron and her research team at the University of Nottingham to explore the socioeconomic value of working equids and the effectiveness of educational interventions aimed at improving their welfare in LMICs.
To view the Working equids research please select the relevant theme PDF:
Key findings
- 84 studies were included following screening of over 3,500 sources published since 2014.
- 61 studies examined the socioeconomic value of working equids; 23 studies assessed educational or training interventions.
- Working equids support livelihoods through agriculture, transport of people and goods, tourism, and domestic tasks.
- Equid ownership can generate income, reduce household labour burdens, and provide social benefits, including improved mobility and community status.
- Equid use can also support progress towards the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).
- Most educational interventions reported improvements in owner or user knowledge, behaviour, and/or equid welfare outcomes.
- Interventions developed with participatory community involvement and delivered at multiple levels were more likely to achieve sustained welfare improvements.
Sustainable Development Goals supported by equids:
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- SDG 1 – No Poverty
- SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
- SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing
- SGD 4 – Quality Education
- SDG 5 – Gender Equality
- SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
The Research
This scoping review followed a transparent and systematic approach to evidence mapping. The work was carried out collaboratively with Dr Amelia Cameron and her team at the University of Nottingham, strengthening the methodological rigour and interdisciplinary perspective of the review.
Original research published from 2014 onwards was eligible for inclusion. Searches were conducted on 24 April 2024.
In total, 3,514 sources were independently screened by two reviewers. Of these, 61 studies focused on the socioeconomic importance of working equids, and 23 studies evaluated educational interventions aimed at improving equid welfare. The evidence base included journal articles, reports, and conference contributions.
Key study characteristics and findings were charted to identify trends, strengths, and gaps in current working equid research.
Why this matters
Working equids play a crucial but often invisible role in supporting human wellbeing, economic security, and community resilience. Poor animal welfare – such as lameness, wounds, exhaustion, or disease – can directly reduce owners’ ability to work, generate income, and meet basic household needs. At the same time, compromised welfare causes pain, discomfort and distress for the animals themselves. Improving working horse, donkey and mule welfare therefore benefits both people and animals, reflecting the interconnected principles of One Welfare and One Health.
Evidence from this review shows that well-designed educational interventions can improve knowledge, behaviour, and welfare outcomes – particularly when they are locally relevant, participatory and address systemic constraints faced by owners and users. Investing in robust animal welfare research not only supports the creation of development programmes but helps to improve both human livelihoods and animal welfare.
Policy relevance
Working equids remain underrepresented in animal welfare legislation, development policy and funding frameworks, despite their clear contributions to sustainable development. This review demonstrates that working equids actively support progress towards multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The evidence supports stronger integration of working equids into:
- national and international animal welfare policies,
- development, livelihoods, and poverty-alleviation strategies,
- climate-resilient and low-carbon transport planning, and
- funding priorities for governments, donors, and development agencies.
Recognising and investing in working equids within policy and funding decisions can improve animal welfare while strengthening livelihoods, resilience and sustainable development outcomes.
Recommendations
This scoping review brings together key evidence on the socioeconomic value of working equids and the impact of educational interventions aimed at improving their welfare in low- and middle-income countries. The findings demonstrate that working equids play essential roles in supporting livelihoods, food security, gender equity and community resilience, while also contributing to multiple SDGs.
The review also shows that educational interventions can be effective, particularly when they are co-designed with target communities, address multiple structural levels and are delivered and evaluated over longer timeframes. These features should be prioritised when developing future welfare initiatives.
To strengthen the evidence base and maximise impact, the following recommendations are highlighted:
- establish accessible databases to summarise completed, ongoing, and planned working equid research;
- improve the discoverability of future studies through consistent use of agreed key terms;
- develop shared resources outlining common health and welfare issues, alongside prevention and treatment options;
- provide clear, accessible guidance to support high-quality research design and reporting; and
- encourage publication of working equid research presented at conferences and international meetings in searchable scientific outlets.
Using this evidence to inform policy, funding and programme design offers an important opportunity to improve outcomes for both working equids and the communities who depend on them.
Peer reviewed paper
Read more about the review summary and how to search to find content in the Research paper:
