WHAT IS A “PMU” MARE? In 1995 Helen learned about the PMU (pregnant mares’ urine) industry. This business is responsible for the constant breeding of mares for the sole purpose of harvesting an ingredient in their urine. This ingredient is used in the production of Premarin, a hormone replacement therapy for women. Helen began making rescue trips to Canada, where most of the breeding occurs, to save the foals. Without Helen’s intervention, the babies of the pregnant mares would have been otherwise sold to meat buyers by the pound. For decades women with menopausal symptoms have been treated with Premarin. It was the most popular drug for this therapy in the United States. Premarin is made with estrogens extracted from pregnant mares’ urine (PMU). Thousands of mares were used to produce this bitter pill contributing to the unnecessary over breeding of horses. Every year, from October to March (6 months) pregnant mares live in “pee barns.” Here they are forced to stand in stalls with urine collection devices strapped to them. The stalls are deliberately narrow to prevent pregnant mares from turning around and detaching the collection cups. Effectively the mares live standing in nearly one place in one position for this period of time. In April the mares are led out to pasture to have their foals and are later re-bred in the months that follow. In September the foals, sometimes as young as two months old, are rounded up and taken to auction. There they can be sold in small or large lots. Sold by their weight and purchased mainly by meat buyers. The manufacturers of PMU drugs would like us to believe that every single foal born as a result of these pregnancies is sold to be used for companionship, recreation, ranching, shows and competitions. They call these “productive markets.” A few fillies (baby girls) are sometimes kept and grow up to replace their worn-out mothers. Premarin has been one of the most highly used estrogen replacement hormones for women in the past. This meant that thousands of babies simply considered as a by-product of this industry ended up going to slaughter and their meat then shipped to Europe and Japan for human consumption.
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