Cambodia's first mobile pony clinic treats ponies, educates owners

For Cambodians who need to transport sacks of rice and other heavy things but cant afford to own or hire a truck, pony and ox carts have long been the solution.The use of animal-drawn carts is especially popular in rural areas like the Chrey Loas commune in Kandal province outside the capital, Phnom Penh. A pony costs about 500-800 USD to buy and can live up to 20, even 30 years.But in Cambodia, one of the poorer countries in Southeast Asia, ponies are often overworked and owners have little knowledge of how to look after them or how to treat them when they get sick or are injured.Veterinarians, like physicians, are also scarce in the country which is just recovering from decades of civil war.To plug the gap, a non-governmental organization has started a mobile pony clinic. The Cambodia Pony Welfare Association (CPWA) roves the countryside, visiting communities in nine provinces with large equine populations.Since 2007, veterinarians affiliated with the NGO have been working in nine of Cambodias 24 provinces, deworming ponies, offering mineral and electrolyte supplements and treating injuries for free.At Chrey Loas commune, the veterinarians treated about 30 ponies with hoof problems, cysts and other ailments.They also held a workshop for pony owners to explain how colic happens, a common sickness among equine species.Using a long piece of cloth tape attached to a square piece of cloth, the veterinarians and assistants demonstrated the mechanism of the ponys intestines and stomach. They also handed out cards with tips on how to feed and water the animals properly.Until now, CPWA, has been offering its services for free. But starting next year, it plans to start charging 50 percent of treatment costs to the owners. It also hopes to run DNA tests on the ponies to establish their place of origin.