Honduras
World Horse Welfare first investigated the feasilbility of a training course in Honduras during September 2009.
There was a great deal of interest in our work, with many veterinary professionals expressing their support for training.
Honduras has a population of approximately 8 million people, and a horse population in the region of 130,000. Horses are relied upon for transportation, either to pull carriages or as pack horses in remote areas.
Ten of the country's 18 states are covered by vets from the Secretaria de Agricultura y Ganaderia (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock), but there are no veterinary faculties at all. Vets have to travel to central and northern American countries to receive training.
We found that many of the horses in rural areas, where communities lead relatively traditional lives, had problems with shoeing and tack, which could be remedied with farriery and saddlery training.
As such, government officials have been very supportive of the training course. It is our intention to use Spanish-speaking instructors, who have attended previous World Horse Welfare courses, as much as possible.
