War heroes on the front lines are often recognized, yet sometimes those in the background make significant contributions to victory — Dorothy Brooke, the founder of the Brooke family of charities, including Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA), is a hero worth celebrating.
Woman in India caring for her horse
During June, Brooke USA celebrates Dorothy Brooke who founded the world's largest equine welfare charity that has provided care for horses, donkeys, and mules for 90 years.
© 2020 by Brooke USA New window.
Brooke USA pays homage to Dorothy on what would have been her 139th birthday on June 1 with a full month of appreciations and recognitions.
Upon moving to Cairo, Egypt, after World War I, Dorothy was inspired to rescue abandoned warhorses that were suffering from intolerably inhumane conditions. Fueled by her love of animals, she took it upon herself to help improve the lives of equine veterans that had been sold into hard labor after the end of the war.
Mounting a campaign in 1931, she dedicated her life to working behind the scenes to save the lives and improve the living conditions of thousands of equines by providing free veterinary care.
During the entire month of June, Brooke USA celebrates Dorothy Brooke’s legacy by sharing her passion for working equines through anecdotes, photos, and articles about her life. In addition, the organization encourages others to pay homage to this extraordinary woman, who against all odds, founded the world’s largest international equine welfare charity that, for close to 90 years, has continued to provide care for working horses, donkeys, and mules.
These are some ideas to celebrate Dorothy while helping Brooke USA achieve its mission of significantly improving the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide.
- Purchase tickets to Brooke USA’s virtual showing of Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed War Horse, airing exclusively June 24-26 on the Equus Film Festival. This movie depicts the life of a horse sold to the British Army during WWI, just like so many of the horses Dorothy saved. To purchase tickets for the private viewing of War Horse, visit www.BrookeUSAevents.org. General admission is $35 and includes one device access code, VIP Admission includes one access code and home delivery of an exclusive Caroline’s Cakes (one of Oprah’s Favorite Things), and Premier VIP Admission includes one access code and home delivery of an exclusive Caroline’s Cakes, a bottle of Premier Bubbly by Cugini and a 28-gram jar of Mottra caviar with crackers.
- Share Brooke USA’s social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn with friends, avid equestrians, and horse lovers.
- Tell a young woman you know about Dorothy and her many achievements. She is an example to all, especially as she founded Brooke during a time when women were relegated to caring for their home and many housekeeping-related jobs.
- Visit Brooke USA’s website at www.BrookeUSA.org to learn more about the work of the organization which contributes over $500,000 a year to help working equines in vulnerable communities all over the world. Programs funded train owners and communities on optimal husbandry and care.
- Purchase her autobiography, Dorothy Brooke and the Fight to Save Cairo’s Lost War Horses, by Grant Hayter-Menzies with the foreword by Brooke Global Ambassador Monty Roberts. Visit Amazon at amazon.com/Dorothy-Brooke to place an order.
- Donate to Brooke USA’s Ukraine Emergency Fund (BrookeUSA.org/Ukraine) to help equestrians and their horses. Funds raised will be forwarded to the Ukrainian Equestrian Federation Charity Foundation (UEFCF; registered in Belgium) with assistance from the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) and USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) via the USEF Disaster Relief Fund.
“Dorothy Brooke is truly an inspiration to us all; proof that one person can set-out to change the world and can make huge strides toward accomplishing that goal,” said Emily Dulin, CEO of Brooke USA. “She made ever-lasting contributions towards creating a better world and has set high very high standards for all of us who are passionate about horses and other equines,” she added.
About Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA): The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. We are committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education, and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare. We accomplish this by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need.
Brooke USA strives to alleviate the suffering and vulnerability of developing communities by funding and implementing programs that improve the quality of life and health of working equines and thereby positively impacting their economic sustainability, protecting the planet, ensuring gender equality, and guaranteeing life on land resilience. We want to see healthy, happy people and equines that work in partnership to achieve sustainable local economies.
Press release by Emily Dulin