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a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing PMU mares and foals and placing them with good families
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| PMUs | ||
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OVER ONE MILLION HORSES HAVE DIED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AYERST-WYETH'S PREMARIN® SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1942. What is Premarin® ? 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, fitted with a UCD 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 8 months out of the 11 month gestation - from September to April most usually. The mares deliver the foals in pastures, and there is a stallion there to rebreed them on the foal heat. The mares are not tied - most have never had a halter on. They are herded into the barns, where there is usually 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 Canadian 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. 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 Premarian, 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. Dreamchaser works in tandem with other PMU rescue facilities - bringing foals and older horses from PMU facilities in Canada to the ranch. 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 has over 42 PMUs available for adoption varying in age from 7 months to 14 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. A horse can touch a child in ways no human can. There is unconditional love, trust, peace, and hope to be shared between those who open their hands and hearts.
For more information visit http://www.premarin.org/.
Your donations are both appreciated and very much needed. We cannot do it without you! 
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