A Brooke supporters family poem about his great grandfathers horse who was requisitioned for World War I leads the equine charitys Every Horse Remembered campaign this year.The poem, which is entitled Black Nannies Awa was written by Richard Burdetts great grandfather, William Smart, a Scottish ploughman, and recounts his grief and despair at having his horse Black Nannie taken away.Over 120,000 horses were requisitioned from their owners at the beginning of the war as the British army was drastically under-supplied for the conflict with only 25,000 horses at its disposal.Richard discovered the poem among his mothers possessions which he was sorting through following her death earlier this year.I found the poem on an A4 sheet, slipped in amongst a pile of bills, medical records, MOT certificates and the like, said Richard, who works for Horse & Country TV.The story could have ended there. I might have just shared the poem with my brother and sister and filed it away as a nice family memory but, in one of the twists of fate that have preserved the poemover the years, despite not being horsey, I work for an equestrian streaming service. I recognised a significance in the poem that others might not have seen, realised its relevance to Brooke and got in touch.Remembrance campaignEach November, Brooke remembers the heroic bravery of working horses, donkeys and mules who went to war as part of their Every Horse Remembered campaign.As part of this years reflections, Brooke has collaborated with the Scottish Poetry Library to produce a short film narrating Black Nannies Awa read by the poet James Robertson.Brooke is the worlds largest working equine welfare organisation and improves the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules across Africa, Asia and Latin America.Its founder, Dorothy Brooke, saw the fate that former war horses were enduring in Egypt following the war.Within three years she had purchased 5,000 former war horses and in 1934 she established the Old War Memorial Hospital in Cairo with the promise of free veterinary care for all the citys working horses and donkeys.Eight million horses, donkeys and mules died in World War I and most of those which survived were kept overseas for hard labour and never returned home.as for Black Nannie herself, well, weve no way of knowing if she made it home and William got his chance tae purchase her freedom, said Richard.But its nice to think that perhaps, just maybe, Black Nannie and Dorothy Brookes paths crossed in Egypt all those years ago and, even if they didnt, they have now.Broadcaster Angela Rippon attended a remembrance service for lost animals in war on behalf of Brooke on Friday 8 November.Further readingAngela Rippon to represent Brooke at remembrance service for animals lost in warOwners belief in horse emotion linked to animal wellbeing, Brooke study showsBrooke unveils online learning platform for vets in developing countriesThe post Family poem about horse requisitioned for war features in Brooke remembrance campaign appeared first on Your Horse.