Re: Premarin-Alert to horse lovers, the other side

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Please do not forward garbage like this without knowing all the facts. 
So often when we read stuff like this it is without a lot of knowledge
and is so one sided view. Read on:

avpinc@bellsouth.net wrote:
> 
"  As a result  of the successful marketing of this drug by Wyeth
> Ayerst, more than 70,000 pregnant mares spend six months of every pregnancy on
> PMU (pregnant mare urine) farms where they stand day after day and week
> after week tied in cramped standing stalls wearing urine-collecting
> equipment.

Here is North Dakota we have many PMU farms and the mares are not in
cramped stalls. They have plenty of room to move around and lie down.
They also have daily turn out, they only spend a certain amount of time
on the urine collecting equipment. They are kept in heated barns whereas
most horses around here are outside in the cold. They are very well
cared for for those 6 months because if they are not, the urine is not
marketable, or the foal is absorb or aborted and the mare is no longer
able to produce pregnancy urine. So the well being of these mares, both
physically and mentally, are very important for the success of the
business. PMU farms that do not take the best care of their horses soon
go out of business. I could only wish that more pregnant mares would get
as good of care. 

> If this were not injustice enough, the foals that are the by-product of
> this
> industry are routinely sold at auction to "killer buyers" for meat as
> soon as they can be weaned from their mothers.  The mothers are re-impregnated after a relatively brief nursing period and face another six months "on the line"."

This is so untrue. All of the PMU farms around here need the money from
those foal crops in order to survive and they would go out of business
in a hurry if they gave them away at auction to "killer buyers". Which
any one knows you get little or nothing for foals at an auction like
that. 

No the truth is these PMU farms have quality registered stock that they
sell into good markets, such as your QH auctions and private sales. The
fillies are kept to become producing mares and the colts are either sold
or the ones who are not sold are kept until they are old enough to train
and then they are sold as riding geldings. 

And because the sale of these foals are so important the foals are well
cared for and have lots of pasture with green grass to run and play with
their mothers who have 6 months of 24 hours-7 days a week turn out. The
foals are weaned off at 6 months and the mares are returned to their
warm, cozy stalls, where they are kept clean, dry and warm.  
> 
>      The article goes on to discuss efforts to save and adopt these
> foals and > the frustration of trying to buy them as they are presented in large lots at auction.  It also discusses the need for foster care and housing for those foals who are saved and purchased.  Please check the article and contact the HAHS for more information, and if you don't subscribe, please do.
> Their ph.# is 815-337-5563.

The foals that I see at killer auctions are the ones that come from
horse breeders who are looking to get rid of their poor quality foals
and culls. I have been on big horse breeding farms and I have been on
PMU farms and I have to say that the PMU mares were healthier looking
and had more room then the breeding farms. Now I am not saying that all
breeding farms are bad and all PMU farms are good, there are good and
bad in any business, but do not judge a business until you have checked
out all of the facts. 

Being endurance riders you should all know how unfair it is when people
judge endurance riders as people who run their horse till they drop dead
and are bad horse people while they have never been to an endurance
ride. So before you judge PMU farms, go check a couple of them out and
talk to the owners. You might be surprised. 
> 
>      I know this is a distressing post, and I apologize for offending or
> 
> upsetting anyone.  I just know I will refuse the use of  Premarin in the
> 
> future, and will be sure to educate my Doctor about the injustice of
> using this product when there are so many others, equally effective,
> on the market.  Maybe if those of us who care try to make our concerns
> known, and if the manufacturerer feels the pinch, we can change things,
> and help some of these animals we love so much.  Thank you.
>                                                                Linda
> Flynn, O.B., FL
> P.S.  Please pass this info. on or forward it to those who may not
> subscribe
> to Ridecamp.

Please before you pass any of this on either as a email or by mouth. Go
visit some farms and get all of your facts before you act. If you do not
have any PMU farms in your area, let me know and I can give you some PMU
farm phone numbers you can call. Talk to these people before you so
harshly judge them. 
You might find good decent horse people who have horses that live better
then they do. 

Lynette Helgeson
In ND where it is going to get to 50 degrees tomorrow. Time for some
horse back riding!