# pregnant horses used for placenta/hormones



## searchingforinfo (Dec 6, 2014)

Was searching for information about pregnant horses that are kept/used for their urine (they are hooked up to tubes to collect the urine) i guess the hormones in the urine are used for hormone drugs and placenta(which is removed by removing unborn foals) is used for protein hair products - not real sure info is hard to find - was wondering where they did this and what could be done to stop it


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Don't know about the placenta part, but the pregnant mare urine, or PMU, industry used to be a big one. Their urine was used to create the hormone replacement drug called Premarine, used by menopausal women. There's tons of info out there on PMU mares and foals.

I, along with several members of the forum, own what were originally PMU foals. They are usually a mix of heavy breed (draft) and light breed(s) (QH, TB, etc), with the dam being the draft because they produce the highest volume of urine during pregnancy. For example, my gelding is half Percheron (his dam) and half paint (his sire was APHA registered). The foals were weaned as soon as possible, the mares bred back on their foal heat to keep them pregnant year-round, and the foals were either sold dirt cheap or sent to slaughter. My gelding, along with another colt and two fillies, were rescued from slaughter by my old BO. I know there is a rescue in the Midwest who deals only with PMU orphans, but I don't remember their name.

The PMU industry isn't as big as it used to be. The use of real pregnant mare's urine to create the drug has been dropped in favor of synthetic substitutes. The drug is also preported to have some bad side effects, if I remember correctly, so has fallen out of fashion, so to speak.

The industry used to be the biggest in Canada, as they allow horse slaughter, so the unwanted foals could be disposed of more easily (with the focus being on keeping the mares pregnant and not on what they were producing, a lot of PMU foals have serious conformation issues). I know most of the PMU farms in Canada have been shut down, though.

People have been trying for YEARS to get the industry shut down, but since the conditions these mares are kept in and the plight of their foals isn't as widely known as, say, the puppy mill industry, not much has been done about it. Most people don't even know what Premarine is (although I have recently seen commercials for it), much less what it is made from.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

It's my understanding that for the most part the "PMU farms" treated their animals, including the mares very well.

On to the other subject placentas. I have only heard of it in people, and very little information do I have. Apparently there is a condition that can be helped or cured by using a placenta from within the same family.

So if there is child with this condition, the parents could conceive another baby then have the pregnancy terminated and the placenta used for the treatment.

Of course it is very controversial.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Actually, there is a lot of misunderstanding about the PMU industry. We have bought, trained and sold PMU horses including the one that has won the most fame of all of the PMU horses in US.

All of the 'reputable' PMU breeders belong to the North American Equine Information Council (NAERIC). Here is their website.


> NAERIC - North American Equine Ranching Council Foals PMU Foals Ranching America Ranchers and Canada Ranch Premarin


All of the Equine Ranchers that are members of this organization adhere to a strict code of care and operation. The welfare, care and handling of the horses, has been approved by the AVMA and the AAEP. The link below has their official statements that have been published in the JAVMA.


> NAERIC - North American Equine Ranching Council Foals PMU Foals Ranching America Ranchers and Canada Ranch Premarin


We purchased and trained a gray stallion, Apache Blue Boy, from a PMU breeder. He was a grandson of Docs Prescription. He was not going to make a reining horse, but could run to cattle and stop harder than any horse I had ever ridden. [We had pit the stop and lead changes on him, but he hated the turn-arounds -- he hated moving his shoulders.] 

I knew he could be a World Class roping horse but that was not what we raised and showed at the time. I would not (and still will not) breed to a horse that does not have willing, fluid shoulder movement. 

I sold him to a roper and he won his first AQHA heeling points about a month later. He has altogether won 8 AQHA World Championships and has over 1500 AQHA roping points in all 7 roping events. The NAERIC matches all cash winnings in any National or International event. Blue Boy has won almost $70,000.00 in AQHA World Championship Show money and The NAERIC has matched it bringing his cash earnings up to $130,000.00. Not bad for a PMU Foal! There are pictures of him on the NAERIC website and on the home page of our Website. Wolfe Ranch - Trail Horses - ranch horses - cow horses

It also proves that one should not just take what the radical terrorist animal rights groups put out for fact. Most of what they spew is complete lies.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I have/had 6 PMU horses. One mare was mean 17 yrs old, skinny and sick when she arrived.Mean, she was euthed after a couple of years. Her foal, is in 'my barn ' and is a sweet horse. Moose and Suzy were 4 months old at the auction, and sick, Shasta was sick and her foal died. Mine came through UPF as they would go bid on a truck loads of horses,mares foals, stallions, and mine came through Farm 1 in Manitoba .(this is how they were listed) there were 6 farms at the time. Mine do not have serious conformation faults.
Premarin was and is used for HRT, and if you have ever had a hysterectomy and needed HRT, you used the drug for estrogen replacement. and for anyone to condemn someone for using premarin is wrong, constant hot flashes to the point of passing out, constant tears,bone loss,weight gain or loss, extreme mood swings, unable to sleep , night sweats to the point the bedding is wet, While some farms were not reputable, other farms would breed registered horses . naeric was formed and any pmu could be registered and shown, I never sent my papers in to Naeric, but they are still around here someplace..


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## KsKatt (Jun 2, 2014)

Cherie said:


> It also proves that one should not just take what the radical terrorist animal rights groups put out for fact. Most of what they spew is complete lies.


Wow, I had no idea I am a member of a "radical terrorist animal rights group"!
I can't help but wonder how old you are.
Now, there were good, compassionate farms, but... Like any industry there were many who put profit above anything. 
The legitimate farm owners took part in the fight to clean up the industry. What you call "complete lies" were the reality for many mares and foals. Perhaps you simply weren't around that long ago. It has been quite a few years, but that does not erase the facts. 
The fact that it happened needs to be remembered, that's the only way we can try to make sure that history does not repeat itself.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

PMU babies in western Canada carried some might fine qh bloodlines. The industry was bad at one time, any old mare and any old stallion would do. The foals were often hit on the head right after birth. It was Grant McEwan who imported fine Belgian stallions which could be leased very cheaply. Because of this Canada produces the fines Belgians in the world with exports to Belgium to upgrade theirs. The goal was to produce babies with a marketable value and in time the goal was reached.


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