 Established in 1995, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Horse Care Unit – one of only three horse care units in South Africa – is dedicated to preventing cruelty to all equines.
In addition to local stud farms, stables, trainers’ yards and riding schools that are home to hundreds of equines – dozens of horses, ponies and donkeys live in densely populated impoverished communities, often in near-slum like conditions in the greater Cape Town area. Some are kept in poorly ventilated, parasitic and unsafe conditions and fed a poor diet of mainly cow meal.
These horses and ponies are often
worked long, exhausting hours, pulling unroadworthy,
overloaded carts.
Two full time Inspectors
Every week the SPCA Horse Care Unit's two full time Inspectors
carry out dozens of inspections at the most unsuitable
and desperately inadequate places where horses
are kept.
Our first approach
is to remedy a problem through education. We try
to first convince the owner to improve the care
and condition of the equine before we will consider
removing it.
If our
Inspectors don’t believe an animal is safe, they
seek a warrant from a magistrate to seize the
animal and take it into safekeeping.
 Unwanted,
abused, neglected, sick and injured horses, ponies
and donkeys are brought back to the specialist unit in Grassy
Park where their condition is assessed and where they are nurtured back to health if at all possible under
expert veterinary supervision.
The facility includes 17 outdoor and 4 indoor stables for
animals requiring intensive or specialised treatment and
can at any time accommodate up to 30 equines.
The unit, which costs around R50 000 a month to run, has two horse boxes and three vehicles capable
of getting to locations situated off the beaten track.
The Aubrey Jacobs Feed Store enables the unit to keep adequate supplies of feed
for its horses, ponies and donkeys.
If you would like to contribute to the cost of caring for rescued horses, donkeys and ponies, please click here to make your donation online.
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