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Brooke USA Foundation: Empowering Equines & People

Brooke USA Foundation Joins inFundraising Efforts to Provide Emergency Disaster Relief in Ukraine

Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA) recently announced the establishment of its Ukraine Emergency Fund and asks its generous supporters to help equestrians and their horses as it joins the many organizations supporting relief efforts in that nation. 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.

According to UEFCF, there are more than 100,000 horses in Ukraine, many of which are caught up in the war, with no possibility to flee and seek safety nor access to shelter or veterinary care. Horse owners, riding schools, athletes, breeders, and riders are suffering under desperate conditions without any means to save their horses. “By making a donation to Brooke USA, donors can provide the Ukrainian equestrian community with a way to help themselves and their beloved equine companions – whether providing feed, bedding, shelter, veterinary care, medications, and other essential needs,” stated Katherine Kaneb, Chair of the Board of Directors of Brooke USA.

Brooke USA has received several email messages and calls asking for the organization to support those in Ukraine who are living amidst a war zone, lacking essential services and access to meeting their most basic needs. “Just imagine if life is difficult for humans; their equine companions are completely at risk.  Those who care for them are forced to flee or have no means to provide for them. We have heard that many Ukraine horse owners are staying with their horses because of the difficulty of transporting them out of the country. The situation is truly desperate for all," added Kaneb.

Brooke USA is in a unique position to help both humans and equines as the organization understands that the lives of both are intertwined. 100% of the funds raised will be designated for direct support services.

UEFCF is helping with the relocation of horses and gathering and distributing goods for equestrians and their horses. Initially, the fund was established to manage a hotline for equestrians in Ukraine and those organizations offering help to Ukrainians. UEFCF has expanded their efforts to include coordinating help and operations in Ukraine, offering counselling and other needs-based assistance. Over the last month, outreach efforts assisting horses and humans displaced by the ongoing attacks in Ukraine amounted to more than 375 tons of feed, haylage and bedding. 150 tons were immediately distributed to 30 different stables in across Ukraine.

“Current donations are meeting immediate needs, but we know that the commitment to aid our fellow equestrians will require long-term support. Brooke USA’s Ukraine Emergency Fund will have a presence at all our fundraising events throughout the year and will be a staple of all our actions during 2023. We know that the welfare of these horses is paramount to their owners,” stated Emily Dulin, Chief Executive Officer of Brooke USA.

Close to $100,000 Raised for Working Equines During

Brooke USA's White Party Goes Green

More than 500 supporters joined Brooke USA Foundation on March 17 in Wellington, Fla. for the signature White Party. This year, the event had a St. Patrick's Day twist, and added a charity casino element. During Brooke USA's White Party Goes Green, presented by Lugano Diamonds, guests were able to support Brooke USA's mission through a silent auction, the charity casino, a live auction and bid for a cause.

Thank you to all who came out to support!

Take a sneak peek at the evening in the gallery below.

Thank You John Haime For Donating 25% of Books Sales to Brooke USA Foundation!

John Haime is a former tournament professional golfer who left his life as a professional athlete to first produce workplace learning programs and eventually blend his areas of experience and knowledge into an innovative system of performance coaching. 

He has helped some of the world’s top performers in sports, business, and entertainment build mental and emotional muscle so they can maximize their abilities, creating a winning formula of sport psychology, emotional intelligence, performance psychology, neuroscience, and executive coaching.

His company, New Edge Performance, has generated breakthrough results for clients in major professional sports leagues, including the NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLS, and Haime has counseled athletes in a variety of other sports—golf, tennis, and equestrian.

For the past seven years, he has worked with dozens of equestrian clients, from young hunter riders and adult beginners to the world’s top show jumping, dressage, and eventing athletes. He has coached Nations Cup winners, Grand Prix winners, and national champions, and has worked with individuals competing at top events like the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Florida, the American Gold Cup in New York, and the Badminton Horse Trials in England.

Haime is the author of You Are a Contender! Build Emotional Muscle to Perform Better and Achieve More … in Business, Sports and Life and is based in Canada (johnhaime.com).

His newest release is Ride Big, a book and brand. John met with guests during Brooke USA's White Party Goes Green, and even donated 25% of book sales and merchandise to Brooke USA. 

Interested in grabbing some Ride Big gear? Check it out here!

Thank you!

An Update on The Ejiao Act

Join Brooke USA Foundation for an in-depth webinar about The Ejiao Act on May 20, 2022 at 2 p.m. (EST) to learn from Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) and Virginia State Delegate Alfonso Lopez about the strides being taken and the future plans as our advocacy efforts continue and we curtail the Donkey Hide Crisis.

Registration information coming soon!

What Can You Do To Support The Ejiao Act?

Ejiao is a gelatin created from the boiled hides of millions of donkeys slaughtered annually for use in traditional Chinese cosmetics and luxury products. Unfortunately, the donkey hide trade to produce ejiao is decimating international donkey populations and aggressively harming impoverished communities, particularly in the Global South. The leading importers in the world for ejiao are China and Hong Kong. However, the United States accounts for approximately $12 million in annual imports each year. Indeed, the growing sale of ejiao in the U.S. deepens the crisis affecting donkeys and the communities who rely on them for their livelihoods. Simply put, with current donkey population figures, the sale and trade of ejiao is completely unsustainable and damaging to poor communities. The United States has the power to take a stand and highlight the problems inherent in selling ejiao. H.R. 5203 is a strong, positive step forward. 

Send your letter today to help us garner support for The Ejiao Act!

An Additional $20,000 Needed to Fund Nutrition & Feed For Animals in India

During the Brooke USA's White Party Goes Green, guests had the opportunity to help Brooke USA fund our Azolla Pit Initiatives in India. 

Azolla is an aquatic fern used as a nutritious feed supplement for equines and other livestock that grows in still water. It is rich in protein, essential amino acids, carotenoids, vitamins, growth promoters and minerals. Emergency funds allowed 376 Azolla pits to be constructed in intervention sites, and now we are raising funds to construct and grow this aquatic fern. 

“In our family, we take care of our animals like our children. During the lockdown, we struggled to provide them with adequate feed. Thanks to the Brooke India team, who came to our rescue, offering us a long-term solution. They provided us with a 50% subsidy to build an Azolla pit. In the past few months, we have found that Azolla is providing good yield and nutrition to our hardworking equines.” - Amarjit Singh, equine owner, Ambala, Haryana.

Although we were able to raise funds towards this goal during our signature event, $20,000 more is needed to fund additional Azolla pits. Will you join us and make a donation today?

Lövsta Future Challenge Raises Funds & Awareness for Brooke USA Foundation & Our Fight to End the Donkey Hide Crisis

Lövsta Future Challenge, the renowned equestrian competition for Developing Grand Prix horses and for Under 25 riders, completed its winter competition and raised $22,400 for Brooke USA Foundation as its equine charity partner during the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival and Global Dressage. 

The partnership with Lövsta Future Challenge provides Brooke USA with a platform to expand awareness of the donkey hide trade which is jeopardizing donkey populations all over the world. Half the world’s donkeys could be wiped out in the next five years, as millions are slaughtered to meet the rising demand for “ejiao”, a gelatin-like product used in traditional Chinese medicine and derived from boiling the hides of donkeys. Believed to improve blood circulation and treat conditions like anemia, infertility, and impotence, ejiao is found in powders, tonics cosmetics and even food products.

The demand for donkey hides is outstripping supply, creating a lucrative business for both producers and retailers. The emergence of the global trade of donkey hides is attributed to the rise of China’s middle class and increased perception of the medicine’s efficacy.

The sudden emergence of donkeys as a globally traded commodity has disrupted traditional cycles of use; around the world donkeys now are worth more dead than alive. This has raised the price of donkeys in some countries, making them unaffordable for many people who use them to take goods to market, cultivate land, and fetch water.

Communities that rely on donkeys for daily chores no longer have access to a resource that until recently was abundant and cheap. Adept at drawing heavy loads and temperamentally easy to handle, donkeys have supported vulnerable livelihoods globally for hundreds of years.

Learn more about the donkey hide crisis at brookeusa.org/ejiao-act.

Pictured above: Owner and Founder of Lövsta Stuteri, Antonia Ax:son Johnson, and Brooke USA Chair of the Board, Katherine Kaneb.

Join Brooke USA’s Northern California Regional Advisory Council at the Woodside Horse Park for the opportunity to raise funds to help working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them to survive in the developing world. Your support during our, “Jump For The Cause”, will help Brooke USA reach its goal of raising $20,000 to fund life-changing programs for animals suffering in the Brick Kilns of India, as well as Ukraine Emergency Disaster Relief.

Interested in volunteering with the Northern California Regional Advisory Council? Email Jina O'Neill to see how you can help this Spring!

A three-day exclusive access sub-channel on the Equus Film Festival streaming network, headlined by the epic adventure War Horse.

About the Movie: This tale of incredible loyalty, hope, and tenacity, directed by legendary director Steven Spielberg has continued to wow horse lovers and audiences around the world. Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway play and set against the sweeping canvas of World War I, this deeply heartfelt story begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and his young trainer Albert. When they’re forced apart by war, we follow Joey’s extraordinary journey as he changes and inspires the lives of everyone he meets. Filled with spectacularly rich visuals War Horse is a “Genuine movie masterpiece,” (Rex Reed, The New York Observer) and one of the most powerful and moving stories of friendship ever told.

Join the Brooke USA Foothills Regional Advisory Council for a benefit concert unlike any other!

Divertimentos & Dressage, now in its 3rd year, is an exciting event that brings together people who genuinely want to make a difference by raising funds for Brooke USA Foundation and the Spartanburg Philharmonic.

On Thursday, October 20, the Indoor Arena at Tryon International Equestrian Center will host an evening of music and freestyle dressage. The Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra will accompany Grand Prix horses and their highly accomplished riders, making Divertimentos & Dressage the event you have been waiting to experience.

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