How we see our world varies on where we live and the experiences we have. The Horse magazine brings you not only topics that are relevant to horses and their owners in the United States, but looks at how horses fit into the picture in North America and the world. Sometimes this isn’t a pretty picture, but reality often isn’t pretty. While we are often accused of being “pro” this or “anti” that, our job as equine journalists is to look at the world of horses and cover the important topics that relate to equine health, care, management, and welfare. Then it’s up to horse owners to make up their own minds about subjects. We want to look at the hard parts of horse ownership, and reflect on the joys of discoveries and advancements in diagnosing, treating, and preventing problems.

Last year we covered the horse industry in Morocco (“At Work in Morocco,” June 2006, www.TheHorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=7001), including stories about the top horses in the industry and the working beasts. That article raised awareness of what an American welfare group–the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)–and others are doing to help working equids. We were pleased when several veterinary students volunteered to work at the MSPCA’s American Fondouk hospital in Morocco in response to reading that article.

Jeremy Campfield, a third-year veterinary student at the University of Florida, read the article on the work done at the American Fondouk, contacted us, and we put him in touch with the folks who not only ran the hospital in Morocco, but others who had worked at the hospital. He decided to volunteer for a month, and he chronicled his experiences–good and bad–on TheHorse.com (www.TheHorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9681).

Jeremy gave us a special insight into the plight of the working donkeys, mules, and horses of Morocco, and the conditions that face the horses, owners, and the hospital itself.

In his last entry on his Morocco journey, Jeremy wrote: “As a near-future equine veterinarian (assuming that pesky board exam goes alright later this year), my time in Morocco has renewed my passion for veterinary medicine and offered me a totally new perspective of the role of the veterinarian in society. I could barely communicate with the rural Moroccan farmers, yet I constantly felt displeasure in observing some of their practices. Regardless of how I feel things should be done, or the political battle between the Moroccan government and the American Fondouk, the bottom line is that these animals never asked to be thrown into their current situation. They just need people who will devote themselves now to alleviating animal suffering and try to educate the horse owners, even though the latter makes pulling wolf teeth seem a piece of cake. The work at the Fondouk must never stop.

“Working at the Fondouk is as much an emotional journey as one of veterinary science. After just a month here, I would easily stay and continue to work tirelessly for these animals, without thought about my student loans, salary, or what kind of truck I want to drive. Now I understand why Dr. (Denys) Frappier has stayed here all these years with no plans on leaving.

“Thanks again to everyone who followed the blog, and many thanks to The Horse for bringing this situation to the attention of horse enthusiasts everywhere. To learn more about the American Fondouk and/or to make a donation, you can find their Web site at www.AmericanFondouk.org.

“I have been forever changed by this experience.”

How many of us can say that of our lifetime of experiences with horses, or just one special horse? How many of us still remember the passion that puts the animal ahead of our own personal beliefs, comforts, or even fears?

We should be proud of the people like Jeremy and Dr. Frappier who selflessly devote themselves to caring for the beasts of burden