We’ll be returning to our Fan of the Month posts this afternoon.

Our expert horse-health blogger, Fran Jurga, updated us this morning on the condition of the horses caught in the middle of the conflict in Egypt.

And with this update, Fran talks of her friends in the middle of the conflict and their concern for the horses used as part of the riots in Cairo. Like Fran, I have friends in Cairo caring for horses, and I share her concerns for the well-being of the humans and horses caught in the turmoil.

The Egypt I’ve known and loved is full of horses, used for everything from show to labor to transportation, and I’m holding those horses, and the people that care for them, in my thoughts today, as I have been for the last 10 days. As Fran says in her post, Cairo is a city of horses, mules, and camels—animals that can’t grasp why they are being ridden into the middle of crowds and hit with sticks, rocks, and whatever else protestors are using.

Warning: This video depicts some of the violence involving horses in Egypt.