FAQ's

YES, Visitors are welcome and we would love to see you.  We are open for visitors from 8am to 5pm with a one hour lunch break from 12 noon (local times), and closed on Fridays.  If you can only get to us at a certain time, please call us, (or ask your hotel to) and if we can we can arrange for you and your group to come at a time suitable for you, though outside normal hours you will of course not see the full out-patient clinic and washing service in action as the locals know our opening times well.  However, we can let your group see the centre, facilities and visit the in-patients.  For directions and a map please click here.

The ACE Centre is approximately 3 km east of Luxor town, amongst agricultural land. (On Google Earth it is 25 degrees 40' 44N - 32 degrees 39' 13E - You might just see a field, as the building was only completed in January 2008)

You do not need to bring anything, however, donations are very welcome to help us in our work.  Or you can look at our wish list prior to packing, to see if you can collect or get some items donated to help us in our work.  If you would like to bring a treat for our in-patients, cucumber, banana, apple and ginger biscuits are very popular with the Equids, nearly all fruit and salad is popular with the tortoises, and cat and dog treats are also put to good use!

We can tailor our tour to your individual requirements, just let your tour guide know how long you have to spend at the beginning of your tour.  If you are coming in a large group, it helps us to accomodate you if you can let us know in advance by calling the centre, or contacting us through your tour group.  There is room for a coach to park and turn around outside the ACE centre.

After your tour you can spend some time with a cool drink in the shade of our visitor balcony, where you can watch our work in action, before having a browse around our visitor reception area where there are souvenirs on display.  You can perhaps take some items home for your families and friends, and to remind you of your time with us.

Here are some simple guidelines for choosing a Caleche:

Yes, you as a visitor to Luxor can directly improve the welfare of the carriage/caleche horses:

• Always remember that it is YOUR choice which caleche you use.  Do not be bullied and make sure the caleche has a licence plate (this licence number can be used if you need to report any problems to the tourist police).
• Do not overload the caleche - a maximum of 3 people and 1 adult driver.
• Walk and trot ONLY!  Going any faster, will not only damage the horses' legs but can also cause the horse to slip, often resulting in serious injury to the horse, plus the passengers if the caleche overturns.
• Do not accept ANY EXCUSES for thin, lame or obviously badly kept horses.  There is NO acceptable excuse.
• Do not let your driver use his whip; there is NO need for this AT ALL!
• NEVER under any circumstances take a caleche from the East Bank to the West Bank.  It is TOO FAR, and some horses have died from exhaustion doing this journey.
• Try to choose a horse standing in the shade and always make the driver put his horse in the shade while waiting for you, also try to avoid the midday sun.  Horses can and do suffer from sunstroke.
• Always agree a price before your trip and which currency it is to be paid in.

By applying these simple guidelines you are sending out a clear message to all carriage/caleche drivers that those who take good care of their horses are rewarded by having the business from the tourist and it is NOT acceptable to mistreat their animals. 

Not financially, no.  But the local Governor of Luxor is very supportive of our work and is very proud of the centre and the service we provide.

Depending on the case we have some that stay for a day off for a rest, to a couple of days, to three or four weeks for more serious cases.  Some burns cases can take up to six months.

Our supporters over the years, mainly people who have visited our centre and Luxor and realise how important our work is, and how imperative it is for the animals that we continue, grow and expand to other areas of Egypt. 

Our supporters give us what they can by monthly standing order which helps stability in our income which, in turn, aids us in planning for the future.

Please look at our 'People at ACE' page to see how the family of ACE is made up.  We have three full time local vets, plus varying numbers of other Vets, Professionals and Para-professionals, who volunteer with us from around the world.

You can read about how we got started, and why in the 'History of ACE' section.

In order to provide continuity of our services to the people as well as the animals, as well as bridging the language barrier (the majority of the people who visit our centre for help for their animals only speak Egyptian Arabic of a local dialect), therefore, it is essential to have, and we are very lucky to have our three local vets. 

However we also want to assist them in Continued Professional Development (CPD) as well as continue and better our services to the animals.  Which is why we accept Professionals from around the world to not only learn more, but to spread the word of what we are doing, plus the majority of the professionals who volunteer with us are amazed to find conditions that in the past they have only ever read about in text books.  Therefore, the experience often helps them too.

We also have local stable staff to assist the Vets in their work, and to tend to the in-patients.  You can read about the people that we have at ACE here.

Unfortunately, yes.  Because according to Egyptian law, the animal is the property of the owner.  Property laws are very strong here and animal welfare laws unfortunately are not.  The few that there are, are not easily enforceable.  Therefore, the animal is the owner's property, if the owner demands it back, even if it is in the middle of treatment, we have to return it.  If it needs to be put to sleep (PTS) and they do not want it to be, we cannot enforce it.  A contract has to be signed for a PTS and a small amount of money has to exchange hands to make the transaction legal.

This is one of the hardest things about our work.  However, it is also why education is SO important alongside the veterinary and preventative work that we do.

"The first two years, I cried every day as I felt so frustrated and totally inadequate to change all that I was seeing.  I do not think I will ever get used to it or accept it, and do not want to.  I still do cry, but less often now.  However, without having that emotion pushed further back I wouldn't be able to do this and survive for over the ten years that I have been here, doing my best to make a difference to as many animals as possible".

Yes, people are far more likely to bring animals to us sooner rather than later, and compared to when I first came out here, the overall general condition is much improved.  However, there is still so much more to do, and so many more animals to help and people to educate on how to care for their only means of livelihood.

The lack of common sense and logic that we face every day in the general population.  For instance when they gallop Caleche's (carriages) up and down the busy main roads, risking falls under lorries and coaches, just to rush to try and get more business. 

The tourists who sit there with a smile as the horse is being whipped and galloped along the road through heavy traffic.  They do not seem to realise that they are risking their own safety as well as that of the horses as they allow this to happen.  (The majority of travel insurance companies do not even cover travel in a horse drawn vehicle!)

Also the overloading of an animal with the view to earn more.  -  Too much weight causes the animals to fall, the load falls off, then they split the load in half.  Yet the next day they will try and overload the cart again!

We no longer offer general veterinary care for ths category (food chain) animals as there are Veterinary Services available that can provide help and vital vaccinations for them.  We have to concentrate our efforts, funds and limited resources on the working and small animals who get no help from the Government Veterinary Services.  Read more here.

Balady, in essence means local.  So a baladi horse is a local horse, locally bred, and of no specific breed, and a baladi bit is a locally made bit.  These bits are usually very harsh with a metal ring under the chin which rubs, and spikes or ports in the mouth which causes pain if the horse or donkey is strong.