Reasons for performing study There are approximately 100 million working equids in developing countries worldwide. These animals’ role in impoverished communities is generally unrecognised by national and international policy makers and their needs are overlooked in national animal health systems. Additionally, despite increased international development attention on women and livestock, the specific contributions of equids to poor womens’ lives are also unquantified and overlooked. Objectives This study aimed to document the relationship between working equids and women in equine owning communities in E thiopia, I ndia, K enya and P akistan. Study design Qualitative semi‐structured focus group discussions elicited opinions from small groups of women (up to 12/group) in selected rural and peri‐urban areas in each country. Methods An experienced local language‐speaking community facilitator guided each discussion using a standardised questionnaire based on UK Department for International Development sustainable livelihoods framework asset categories. Women's experiences of working equids’ roles in their lives were audio‐recorded, transcribed in local language and key themes summarised in English. Results Twenty‐two discussions (7 in I ndia, 5 each in E thiopia, K enya and P akistan) comprising 259 women took place between February and October 2013. When asked to rank their livestock, all 12 groups in I ndia and K enya and 17 out of 22 groups overall ranked equids most important, due to their income generation and contribution to household chores, including transporting feedstuffs and water for other livestock species. Whilst specific responsibilities varied between communities, women reported undertaking many equine husbandry activities but lacked access to equine‐specific knowledge and skills training. Conclusions The study findings can inform development of targeted training interventions for female working equid owners and users. Further work is required to quantify the contribution to livelihoods of working equids in developing countries to underpin engagement with government stakeholders on the benefit of providing for their needs in animal health and welfare systems. Ethical animal research: Not applicable, no animals were involved in this study. Sources of funding: The Brooke UK . Competing interests: None.