2008 PMU adoption form will be on our site in April but we have many 2007 foals now available.

PMU Foals

How Can I Adopt a Foal?

PMU Foal Adoption. As spring nears, many PMU mares are starting to give birth to their precious little foals. The babies will enjoy a wonderful start in life by their mother’s side in a herd of other youngsters. They will remain out to pasture until the first of September then they'll be separated from their mothers and most likely shipped to slaughter sales. In the spring, they’ll be shipped to a slaughterhouse and their meat sold overseas for human consumption. Adopting a foal is literally a life or death decision for one of these innocence babies. Adopters are directly responsible for saving a foal from a tragic, brutal death. Anyone can buy a horse – it takes a hero to rescue one. They need your help NOW!

The PMU industry is now in dire straits and many predict the industry will be extinct within a few years. However, there are still thousands of horses that will need homes in the meantime. The adoption fee’s range from $700-800. This fee pays for the foal, a health certificate and Coggins test required to enter the United States, transportation via tractor trailer to Vermont, a livestock facility rental fee while traveling in Canada, federal vet fees, customs broker fees. We do charge a non-refundable $15 application fee to cover administration costs such as printing materials, postage, and long distance phone calls. We must cover all of our expenses to continue to rescue horses.

There are a couple of different ways to go about adopting a PMU foal: 1) you can pre-register and indicate your breed style, color and gender preferences and a foal will be assigned to you (we are usually VERY successful in matching up foals to preferences); 2) you can pre-register for a Pick Foal Option. This means you select your own foal. However, Pick Foals are done AFTER the other foals are assigned and adopters will be allowed to pick in the order the applications arrived. We will not know how many or what breed styles and colors will be available for the Pick Foal Option until the other foals are assigned (if you are looking for a specific breed style or color we recommend selecting your preferences on the application); 3) you can wait until the foals to arrive without pre-registering and select a foal from the extras, however, you will have to wait until all of pre-registered adopters are assigned a foal and the Pick Foal adopters have selected their foals. The adoption fee will be more if you do not pre-register and the extra money will be used to feed and care for the foals while they are at our facility. It costs approx. $100 per day to feed this many foals. If you choose to wait and not pre-register there are no guarantees you will get a foal.

All adopters are required to fill out the Adoption Survey and read the Responsible Horse Owner document. Pre-registered adopters must fill out the PMU adoption application. Fill out and send in the forms as soon as possible as the foal preferences will be filled in the order the paperwork arrives. See the PMU Adoption Packet for further information on what to expect before, during and after the adoption.

An adoption contract is required for all horses placed from our program. The adopter must agree to the terms of the contract. One of the terms is an understanding that a vet will fill out and remit the Statement of Health Form annually so we can keep track of the well being of the horses. Owners must submit annual photos as well. If you do not intend to adhere to such terms then please do not apply to adopt, as we will enforce the terms of the contracts, it is a legally binding document. See “Adoption Contracts and Forms” for more information.

Below is a check off list of what you need to do to pre-register to adopt a PMU foal.   
The 2007 PMU Foal Adoption Form is now available!

___ 2007 PMU Adoption Form  (MS Word format)

___ $100 minimum deposit and $15 application fee – both are non-refundable.

___ Adoption Survey Form

___ Responsible Horse Owner signature, attesting that you have read the full document.

___ Download and print out the PMU Adoption Information Packet for yourself. If you are unable to do so, let us know and we will mail one to you.

What are Premarin Foals?

Premarin or PMU (PREgnant MARe urINe) foals are mere by-products of the Hormone Replacement Therapy drug Premarin® that is prescribed to women in menopause or who have had hysterectomies. This drug is made from the urine of approximately 60,000 pregnant mares (female horses) and their foals are usually shipped to slaughterhouses for their meat, which is marketed overseas to European and Asian countries for human consumption. When the mares can no longer conceive they too are generally shipped for slaughter and replaced on the "pee lines". These horses and foals vary in breed, the majorities are; Paints, Appaloosas, Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Drafts, and crosses of each.

I stumbled across some information on PMU farms and the PMU mares and their foals and was completely outraged. How could the slaughter of over 50,000 baby horses a year NOT be against the law?!?!? How could people be allowed to treat these mares in such a cruel and inhumane way?!?!? The PMU mares and foals have no laws to protect them. Their only defense is education for the 9 million women that take Premarin...education that will allow women to realize they have many options in synthetic hormone replacement drugs, the knowledge of where Premarin comes from and the trail of slaughter and cruelty it leaves behind.

Please don’t turn away from this tragedy and pretend it doesn’t exist because it does and will remain to exist if we, as consumers, continue to be uneducated about what it is we put in our bodies and what is going on around us. My intention is not to ostracize Premarin users, only to educate them. I once read in an article that the entire PMU industry is an "American Disgrace" and I couldn’t agree more.

Our 2000 gang of rescued Premarin foals waiting peacefully for their blood test results so they can cross the US border to come home. The foals in the pen next to them weren't as fortunate - they were waiting to be shipped to a feedlot where they will be fattened up for spring slaughter.

How Can You Help?

Request a free newsletter by calling, emailing or mailing your name and address to Spring Hill Horse Rescue.   Contact us now to be added to the list or to receive an adoption application. Feel free to copy any information provided and pass it on to others. In fact, I encourage you to do so. Many people post the posters up at their local tack/feed and grocery stores, which is a great help. If you would like to download The Rescued Horse Newsletter in PDF format, visit the Newsletter page.

Please consider opening your home to one or more these foals. They are known to be wonderful horses. If you pre-register, the adoption fee is $700-$800 unless the price of horsemeat goes up considerably by September (there is a beef scare in Europe right now which has the potential of severely increasing the demand for horsemeat). This fee covers the purchase of the foal itself and other expenses incurred (travel, Coggins tests and health papers, vets, border and broker fees, etc.) as they come from Canada. There may be extra foals available when we get back but they will be "fund raiser" foals and their adoption fees will be more. If you cannot adopt a foal then please consider getting some people to pitch-in to sponsor the adoption of one or a donation towards the purchase of one. It is a great way to get the community involved plus educate people as well. Another way you can help is to participate in our fund raising events (such as a trail ride/campout, benefit auction, gymkhana) throughout the year. Information as to when and where these events will take place will be posted on our website. Any moneys from these adoptions and benefit events are put toward the Premarin Foal Rescue Mission; this is a not-for-profit venue.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this information and thank you for your interest in helping these babies and educating yourself and others. For more information on the Premarin industry, use the words PREMARIN or PMU in a search engine on the Internet. I hope to hear from you soon.

What to Expect When You Adopt a Foal

Frequently Asked Questions

• When will I get my foal?

Foals are left with their mothers until the first of September and then weaned onto grain for a couple of weeks. They arrive to Vermont in mid-September. When the foals are picked up, we ask that a 5 – 10 bale hay donation be made to help alleviate the expense of feed.

• How old will my foal be?

They are usually 3 – 5 months old.

• Do these foals receive the proper colostrum from their mothers before being sold?

Yes, when these foals are born they are left out to pasture with their moms for the summer. We pay the farmer extra to deworm and wean our foals onto grain for two weeks before being shipped to Vermont.

• Are there any long-term health problems known with these foals?

Not to our knowledge. It is perfectly normal for any horse to get ‘flu’ like symptoms (runny-noses, etc) from the stress of traveling but this can easily be cleared up with antibiotics. These foals are looked at by 3 different vets before they leave our facilities.

• What about vaccination shots and deworming?

Again, have your vet come and check out your foal immediately. Your foal will not have received any vaccination shots but will have been dewormed once. All foals get worms and it is important to deworm them regularly. Have your vet determine a deworming and vaccination schedule for your foal. You will receive a negative Coggin’s test when you retrieve your foal.

• If I choose a colt (male), will he be castrated?

No, castration should be done between 6 – 8 months of age. Males usually reach sexual maturity from one to two years of age but sometimes sooner. If you plan on housing your colt with mares, you may want to consider getting him castrated sooner rather than later. Again, check with your vet.

• Will my foal be ‘wild acting‘?

These foals are born on a farm; they are use to machinery and the hustle and bustle of domestic living. However, when these foals come to the sales, they are herded from pen to pen, chute to chute, and from trailer to trailer. They learn that every time they come in contact with a human they are to go in the opposite direction. Some may be more skittish than others but with a little time and a lot of patience they will quickly bond with you. Ours are like big puppies now wanting to be scratched and pet all of the time and are barely afraid of anything!

• Will my foal be halter trained?

No, we offered to halter train foals last year and found it to be almost impossible given all of the other work that had to be done to care for them. They are much easier to handle once they are home away and from the rest of the herd. We have not heard of any problems handling these foals once home. If this is your first time halter training a foal we do suggest you get someone with experience to help you.

• How are these foals any different from ‘regular’ foals?

The only real difference is that their mothers are used for urine collection rather than riding or working. Your baby is unique from ‘regular’ foals as he/she stands as a tribute to the tens of thousands of other foals that have been brutally slaughtered for their meat. Your foal is a survivor of the Premarin industry...and you are a hero for saving this young life.

When choosing a name for your foal, we recommend picking a name from the list of synthetic hormone replacement therapy drugs, it makes a good conversation piece and helps to educate the public about the Premarin industry….education is their only defense.

Other PMU Facts

There are over 9 million women taking Premarin products. It is one of the highest prescribed drugs in the nation.

SHHR Jewell just days after arriving at her new home.
 

• One mare (female horse) provides enough urine for approximately 150 women a year...therefore, 9 million women divided by 150 women per horse = 60,000 pregnant mares needed to provide estrogen rich urine for these 9 million women a year! What’s worse is the baby-boomers are reaching menopausal age. If these women aren’t educated about the Premarin industry, these numbers could rise enormously.

• If 60,000 pregnant mares are needed per year to produce Premarin, there must be 60,000 foals born to these mares each year?!? Yes! They are considered mere by-products of this industry.

• The mares at PMU (Pregnant Mare Urine) farms are impregnated, fitted with a urine collector device and put on "pee lines" for approximately 6 – 8 months. They are tied in small 8’ long X 3‘ wide stalls. Many are kept dehydrated so their urine is concentrated.

• The mares are taken off the "pee lines" at foaling time and put outside to foal. They are re-impregnated and returned to the PMU production line. If these mares fail to get pregnant they too are generally sent to slaughter and replaced.

• It has been reported that a small percent of foals at PMU farms do not survive due to exposure, starvation, or "clubbing" at birth. Of the foals that do survive, an estimated 9 out of every 10 fillies (females) and 49 out of every 50 colts (males) go to slaughter and their meat is shipped over seas for human consumption.

• The true tragedy is that there are several other synthetic and plant-based alternatives on the market today. It is not even necessary to produce this drug! Women are rarely told what and how Premarin is made. If given the choice, most would not choose to be party to this cruelty and slaughter of these tens of thousands of horses and would opt for a synthetic drug.

• There is currently a beef scare in Europe, which will inevitably increase the demand for horsemeat.

• A new company, Natural Biologics, out of MN, is said to be processing and storing horse urine as well, awaiting FDA approval of a generic form of Premarin. This tells us there is a great potential for numerous PMU farms to crop up in the U.S.

Some comments from recent adopters:

"Gina…Kacie seems to be settling down very well in her new home. We just love her! She seems to have a sweet disposition and she’s very smart. She’s just adorable and I’m very glad we got her."

"Orion arrived home just fine. He’s a wonderful baby and we are very luck to have him in our family!!"

"Hope has a very sweet temperament and she is perfect. Thank you so much for choosing her form me. My husband and son are in love with her, as am I. God Bless you for doing what it takes to rescue such beautiful creatures!"

"Dear Gina, I knew I was excited and nervous and anticipating something good, but I had no idea in the world how much I could love a little thing instantly. From a scared foal to a trusting friend in just 3 hours; certainly one of the most incredible experiences of my life! Thank you for bringing me this gift. He’s perfect. Absolutely perfect."

"I had no idea that he would be everything I hoped and more.  Raising Remi has been the best experience!  I now have a three year old horse that I have started riding and taking to shows...and he's still just as curious and playful as he was three years ago. Wherever we go, he gets so much attention!"