What is a PMU horse?

Many people don't know that there is a large industry that gathers Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) for the hormones to use in hormone replacement drugs for menopausal women.   It is marketed under the name of Premarin.  PMU farms have hundreds of mares that they breed and hook up to collection devices in very small stalls for the last six months of their pregnancy.   They are taken "off-line" just before foaling and allowed to foal outside in open fields, but they are bred again shortly thereafter.  These mares are kept like this year after year, producing foals that no one wants, until they are no longer productive, then they are discarded.   Most of the foals are discarded as well,  a few fillies are kept to replace older mares, the rest of the fillies and most of the colts are sent to slaughter.  A filly foal has a less than 1 in 10 chance of not going to slaughter, a colt foal has a less than 1 in 50 chance.   Some of these foals are saved by rescue organizations.  My friend Toby was one of the lucky ones.

 Toby made the trip down from Manitoba when he was about 6 months old.  He and 47 other foals were taken in by a rescue group who quickly found themselves overwhelmed.  So Toby and 16 of he friends went for another trip to the MSPCA Nevins Farm.  After a few months of care there, he was ready to be adopted.  That is where I found him.  

The PMU industry has gotten smaller in recent years.  Stricter regulations and greater awareness of where Premarin actually comes from have had many farms throwing in the towel.  The problem of these unwanted foals still exists, though, and will until there is no longer a demand.  There are only so many homes for these foals so, please, think twice about taking Premarin.

Blanket Statement

Well, its that time of year again.  Time to bring in all the horse blankets to wash and waterproof them for next year.  I am not big into blanketing my horses.  I believe that horses are healthier when they are left the way nature intended.

Toby in full winter fuzz

That being said, my horses do have three blankets each, a cooler, a heavy winter blanket and a lightweight rain sheet. There are occasions when blanketing is necessary.   I use the cooler, or lightweight moisture-wicking polar fleece, when they have gotten wet in the cooler weather.  For example if they have been running around and worked themselves into a sweat  or they have been out in a light snow storm or cool shower.  The polar fleece keeps them warm but allows the moisture to escape.  I also use the cooler in the fall to keep Casey warm on those cool fall nights.  He tends to be slow in growing his winter coat and as a result I have gone out several mornings to find him with a case of the shivers.

Casey in his heavy winter blanket

Their winter blankets I use even more sparingly.  I only really break them out when it is going to be under 20 F for more than a day or two.  Even then I don't always blanket Toby since he grows an extraordinary amount of hair.

Toby and Casey sporting their lightweight blankets

The lightweight rain sheet is what I use the most.  They wear them mostly in the spring and fall when getting wet to the skin can cause a chill or when "rain rot" can be a problem. 

Rain Rot

"Rain rot" or "rain scald" is an anaerobic skin infection that causes crusty scabs and matted tufts of hair.  The bacteria love a humid,  oxygen-free environment which happens when moisture is captured under a thick winter coat.  Treatment requires baths with antimicrobial shampoo (usually daily for about seven days) until the infection clears, but it is easy enough to prevent if they just wear their raincoats.