“A tribute to a courageous woman who worked to reduce suffering.”
-Temple Grandin, PhD
Lexington, Ky. – Nov. 9, 2017 – More than one hundred years ago, Dorothy Brooke, the founder of what has become the world’s largest international equine welfare charity, Brooke, began an extraordinary life that led to rescuing 5,000 former WW1 horses. Author Grant Hayter-Menzies was inspired to document her story in his new biography, ‘Dorothy Brooke and the Fight to Save Cairo’s Lost War Horses’, which was released from Potomac Books on Nov. 1.
In addition to raising awareness about the organization’s vital mission, Brooke USA is grateful to Hayter-Menzies for pledging 40% of his royalties to Brooke to help sustain Dorothy Brooke’s legacy by improving the lives of working equines around the world.
Born in 1883 to an aristocratic Scottish family, Dorothy Brooke was raised with horses and other animals throughout her childhood. She married Major General Geoffrey Brooke in 1926 and soon after discovered the horrors that former war horses were experiencing in Egypt, when she came across thousands of animals who had been abandoned after World War I. They were now facing a daily life of backbreaking misery and inadequate care. She founded the Old War Horse Memorial Hospital in Cairo to take in and care for the horses that had given so much to the allies during the war.
Hayter-Menzies’ hardback book also highlights the real challenges of founding and maintaining such a large-scale mission in her charity, Brooke. Through its story, readers come to understand how Brooke’s mission has continued to live on and increase its reach across the world. Her legacy today provides veterinary care, training, and education programs, to improve the welfare of working equines across Asia, Africa, and South America. Last year alone, Brooke reached two million horses, donkeys, and mules, benefitting 12 million people who depend on them.
Today, Dorothy Brooke’s legacy also includes Brooke USA, the American sister charity of Brooke, headquartered in Kentucky. This year, Brooke USA launched a one million dollar fundraising campaign called “Horse Heroes” to honor American WW1 equine heroes and the beginning of the Brooke charity. Brooke USA will continue their “Horse Heroes” campaign by celebrating Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11. While veterans typically bring to mind the human sacrifices that have been made, there have also been thousands of animal veterans including horses and donkeys that served as an integral part of multiple wars. Honor their sacrifice by donating to the campaign here.
“Dorothy Brooke’s amazing courage, dedication and compassion helped establish an organization that has improved the lives of many millions of animals and tens of millions of people,” said Dr. David Jones, the chairman of Brooke USA. “We are very thankful to Grant for his excellent book and generous support.”
‘Dorothy Brooke and the Fight to Save Cairo’s Lost War Horses’, includes a foreword by renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts and an introduction by Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, a retired senior British Army officer and chairman of Brooke.
To learn more about Brooke USA, please click here. You can also contact Brooke USA at 859-296-0037 or Info@BrookeUSA.org.
