Understanding Factors Affecting Working Equid Welfare: Developing Engagement and Impact

My research takes a holistic approach to evaluating the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules; a group of animals that play a vital role in supporting millions of the poorest people around the world yet often suffer from poor welfare. This research takes into account the complex linkages that exist between animal welfare and both human and environmental factors in order to try and improve working equine welfare.

Across my PhD studies I identified elements of the owner-animal relationship that impact equine welfare and worked alongside NGOs to both evaluate the success of welfare initiatives and recognise barriers to welfare improvement. During the Fellowship I intend to continue building on this research and conduct a study with the donkey owning community on Lamu Island in Kenya. In conjunction with local stakeholders, I will develop an arts-based initiative. This research will use a community-based participatory arts approaches to raise awareness of donkey sentience and the risk factors for poor donkey welfare within the local community. It will also enable the community to engage with the results of research in an accessible and appealing way.

My aims for the Fellowship will be to develop my engagement with a range of important relevant audiences to maximise prospects for both collaboration and forward dissemination of my research findings. Alongside engaging directly with equid owning communities, through presenting and discussing my research findings with NGOs, my
results could be practically applied to increase impact at policy level through dialogues between NGOs and local governments and at ground level, through impacting the direction of future NGO welfare programming.

Presenting my research within the sphere of academia will also help me to disseminate my results more widely. I aim to publish two further research papers and attend a conference where alongside presenting my work I can engage with other researchers and policymakers to develop collaborative research opportunities for the future. Time will also be spent securing onwards research funding through writing a grant proposal which will build on all of the research I have carried out to date. In this way I will continue to support and advance my future research career.

Another aim of the Fellowship is to build networks to develop new avenues for collaboration and impact. I have collaborated previously with NGOs, internationally and in the UK to complete research projects and I plan to extend my network of practitioner contacts. I am especially keen to foster interdisciplinary connections between academia and NGOs. Whilst working in Lamu I would aim to build collaboration with animal welfare organisations, arts groups and community led organisations tackling the issue of plastic waste on the island. Crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries will enhance impact opportunities for research between university departments, within the NGO sector and the wider island community.