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Horse Slaughter
Did you know that the United States of America
is the horse slaughter capital of the world? Our horse slaughter
yards slaughter over 100,000 horses per year. Some of the product
is shipped out internationally to be used as cuisine and some of
the product is kept in the U.S for other uses including pet food.
Nearly all of the horses sent to slaughter are
in good to excellent condition. Some of the horses were champions.
Once worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, now they are worth
$0.45 a pound. Recently making news was the fact that 1988 Kentucky
Derby winner Ferdinand was slaughtered because he didn't do as well
at stud as expected. You would think owners would be more gratefully
to a horse who won them well over $5,000,000.
Some horses who are sent to slaughter are those
great, gentle, "bombproof" horses we all know and love,
like the horse you learned how to ride on as a child. Once so fondly
loved, now forgotten and caught up in a brutal system. Then there
are those other horses. The sad and neglected ones, they hang their
head low as if they have given up hope and know they have reached
the end of the road.
All these horses have one thing in common. They
share the same dreadful fate. There is now a look of terror in their
eyes. The smell of blood and death get to them. The sound of desperate
whinnies of horses who are being led to the "butchers block",
as they are being led to their death. All this time they stand and
wait in their tiny filthy crowded pen, knowing soon it will be their
turn.
All of these beautiful animals could have been more
- so much more. They have a potential that could have been reached,
if only someone cared. We here at Greener Pastures Horse Rescue
care.
America was built on the horses' backs. They deserve
better than this!
For more detailed information on horse slaughter
please visit: Just
Say Whoa to horse slaughter.
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PMU/Premarin
PMU( otherwise known as premarin) stands for Pregnant
Mares' Urine (PREgant
MARes urINe).
Premarin is used in female hormone replacement drugs. There are
over 5 million women currently taking Premarin in the U.S. Little
do they know what is in this medication or how it is made. Pregnant
mares urine contains high levels of estrogen, which is exactly what
they need for hormone replacement and is exactly what they use.
Unfortunately 75,000 horses are currently suffering
in PMU/Premarin farms. There are approximately 431 PMU farms currently
operating in the U.S.A and Canada. Mares are kept in stalls 8ft
long and 3 1/2ft wide(horse stalls should be at least 12x12ft) 24
hours a day for the last 6 months of their pregnancy. The mares
are cross-tied so it is impossible for them to take more than a
few steps forward or back. The mares are given very little water
so as to concentrate the estrogen in the urine. They are fitted
with UCDs(Urine Collection Device) which often cause a severe infection.
Mares are sent out to a large pasture to foal. Foals
often die from exposure or other complications. PMU foals have a
very high mortality rate. Mares who do not get pregnant very soon
after foaling are sent to slaughter. Foals are weaned at 3-4 months(
should be 6-8 months). Mares are then sent back to their claustrophobic
stalls and foals are sent to feeding lots to be fattened up for
slaughter.
- 9 out of 10 fillies born in PMU/Premarin farms
are sent to slaughter.
- 49 out of 50 colts born in PMU/Premarin farms are sent to slaughter.
- The average life span for a PMU/Premarin mare is 9-10 years
(average horse life span is 30 years).
There are other hormone replacement drugs on the
market that have proved safe but Premarin is still the most popular.
If you are taking Premarin please do your part and switch to a more
humane medication. Ask you doctor about alternatives.
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