FAQs
STATIC CLINIC				FORUM
MOBILE CLINIC				TRAINING
ILPH				FARM
	E-NEWS BULLETIN ARCHIVES

Vision

A regulated carting industry on the Cape Flats, where all working cart horses are fit, healthy and happy in their work.

Mission Statement

To protect working the cart horses from abuse and contribute to the upliftment of the carting community living on the Cape Flats.

Aim

To provide static and mobile clinic services, support, education and training to under developed communities living on the Cape Flats who use horses and carts to collect scrap metal as a means of generating an income for themselves and their families.

Static Clinics

Subsidised services are provided at nine weekly clinics, five in the morning at the Clinic and Training Centre and four in the afternoon in outlying areas on the Cape Flats, here cart horse owners are able to access, Feed A professional farrier service Harness repairs Dentistry Basic veterinary care and treatments Free de-worming and tetanus vaccinations. Education and hands-on practical training of cart horse owners and drivers, on proper care and health maintenance of their horse is also an integral part of the static clinics.

Skills Development and Training

Project African Dawn, a five-year skills development and training programme in farriery and harness making was launched in 2003, in partnership with the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), UK. The aim of the project is to train members from the carting community on the Cape Flats and other communities across South Africa who use horse and cart to generate an income in the essential skills of farriery and harness making, thus contributing to the welfare of the working horse, empowerment, poverty alleviation and capacity building of individuals and communities. From March 2003 to July 2007, a total of 69 students graduated from Project African Dawn. Working horses in communities in the rural areas of the Western, Northern and Eastern Cape and townships of Soweto and Tembisa in Gauteng have benefited from the training programme

Farm: Recovery and Rehabilitation Centre

The acquisition of this vital facility was made possible by a generous bequest from the Late BT van Vliet. The Centre situated on the N2 near Somerset West consists of 26 stables, paddocks with shelters, tack room, feed barn, an indoor arena and accommodation for an on-site manager and grooms. The Centre provides: A place of safety for working cart horses whose owners and drivers continue to abuse and neglect them, despite our efforts at education and the services offered at the static clinics Accommodation for sick and injured horses requiring palliative care A safe haven for working cart horses needing rest and rehabilitation Maternity care for foaling mares.

Mobile Clinic

The Mobile Clinic polices the cart horse drivers by conducting road patrols, scrap metal yard inspections and responding to reports of abuse and overloading from members of the public, law enforcement and traffic officials. Penalties for the contravention of the Animal Protection Act by cart horse drivers vary, depending on the severity of the case and the working history of the owner and driver and include verbal and written warnings, confiscation of the harness, confiscation of the horse for rest and rehabilitation and prosecution. The Emergency Response Unit, an authorised emergency vehicle, is available 24/7 for veterinary emergencies, providing prompt and professional services to sick and injured horses. Common cases seen are motor vehicle accidents, colic, poisoning, dog-attacks, mares foaling down, respiratory infections, dehydration and exhaustion. Sick and injured cart horses needing constant veterinary care and 24-hour observation are admitted to the Treatment Stalls at the Clinic and Training Centre, where they are treated, monitored and nursed back to health.