The drug,
Premarin® is used as a hormone replacement therapy aid for
women. This drug is derived from chemicals found in the urine of
pregnant mares. Premarin® stands for Pregnant Mares'
Urine, or PMU.
To produce Premarin, mares are impregnated, surrounded by a
pulley system and
normally kept in cramped stalls that measure approximately 8
feet long, by 3 1/2 feet wide, by 5 feet high. The mares are
confined for several months but are out in pasture usually from
the end of April until mid-September. The mares give birth to
the foals in pastures during late April, May, June and July.
Mares are impregnated again generally on the foal heat, and then
go back into the barns in September.
Come
September,they are herded into the barns where there is just a
pipe panel between areas and a pulley system surrounds them with
a capture container of rubber is held for the urine.
Within
six months of a successful breeding, they are returned to the
PMU production line again. Mares that do not become pregnant
within a very short time cannot be returned to the collection
barns.
The horses
go to slaughter houses, and the meat, which is considered a
delicacy in
Europe, is
sold to Asia, China, Germany, France, and others. Foal meat is
prime, just like veal.
Foals
removed from the mare are sometimes fattened on feedlots and
then sold for slaughter. The ones not sent to feedlots go
straight to the meat auctions, or are sold to resale agents. A
small number are sold by foal rescue operations to mostly U.S.
rescue organizations.
OVER ONE MILLION HORSES HAVE DIED FOR THE PRODUCTION
OF
AYERST-WYETH'S PREMARIN®
SINCE ITS
INCEPTION IN 1942.
A
filly has a less than one in 10 chance of not going to
slaughter, a colt foal, less than one in 50!
Pro-PMU
people focus on the fact that the mares live out in 1,000+ acre
pastures with their foals for up to six months of the year (on
most PMU farms, mares are 175 - 185 days pregnant when the
collection period begins. Estrogen production starts to peak
between day 200 - 275 of pregnancy, then decreases to
parturition. Mares are collected for a period of 160 - 180 days
with the collection period usually being from October to April).
Anti-PMU
people focus on the fact that the pregnant mares are kept tied
up indoors for at least six months out of the year.
There are safe and natural
alternatives to Premarin: synthetic, plant based, and bio-identicals.
By continuing to use Premarin, these horses will seldom have a
chance to live a full and happy life.
Dreamchaser PMU Rescue and
Rehabilitation is part of a
network
of facilities that save these beautiful
animals from certain death and place them in homes through
adoption.
PMU foals and older horses
are unique in that they have either had absolutely no handling
to minimal handling. They require special care and a gentle
understanding. Paired with time and the utmost patience, the
horses learn to trust humans again.
The caretakers at
Dreamchaser PMU Rescue and Rehabilitation understand the
requirements necessary to care for these horses. Their gentle
methods of training and treatment, along with their vast
experience and knowledge help to make a smooth transition from
untrained to comfortably trained. Thanks to their dedication,
the horses become valuable members of equine society and perfect
companions for you and your family.
Our goal for the Dreamchaser
PMU Rescue and Rehabilitation facility is to continue to rescue
and be available to assist those who also save PMU’s from
potential slaughter. These fine animals deserve a chance at an
enjoyable life.
Dreamchaser PMU currently has PMU's, feedlot rescues and rescued
Saddlebreeds varying in age from 1 to 7 years. Neither the mares
nor the Percheron stallion we adopted were trained as riding
horses. With a dedicated gentleness and horsemanship, our
intention is to teach these horses to trust humans and become
trail riding horses - for
special
programs. We invite children here to the ranch for child
outreach. We work with Calvary Kids (ranch campouts), Florence
Crittendon group homes, home-schoolers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
Arizona Corrections, and Cub Scouts. We envision
being able, with help and funding, to bring these children to
Dreamchaser PMU to experience the joys of horses and the beauty
of our surrounding desert.
