Page 10 - Hillside Anniversay Newsletter

racehorse, La Vizelle in the company of friends

tomach) and swollen legs. Reports told how the mothers-to-be are
kept permanently thirsty, their water intake restricted so the urine
produced is more concentrated.
The main company producing PMU, which is marketed under the

rade names Premarin and Prempro, is now Pfizer.
We wanted to find out what happens to the foals. The drug company

laimed they were sold to ‘good homes for riding’ but reports showed this
o be untrue. There is no market in any country for so many foals, except,
of course, for the horse meat trade. At one time many foals were killed at
birth, like calves in the milk industry, but to placate angry animal lovers, and
keep profits soaring, foals were left with their mothers for longer.
We travelled to Canada to investigate and attended four foal sales. At
each, around 3500 young foals and discarded PMU mares were crammed
nto pens. They stood in the heat for several hours, most without water.
Foals were trying to suckle milk from each other. The numbers were so
reat that they were sold in lots of six at a time and by the pound weight!
All, except a handful, were bought by meat dealers. We rescued four foals.5