Carrie

[dollface]

Just got to ask what your views are on the PMU line?

Myself I feel very sorry for the mares being stuck in a stall being collected from and of course the offspring since they 9 times outta 10 end up for slaughter. I know this first hand because my mom and hubby (auctioneer) use to own an auction barn and had horse sales once a month. Alot of the colts were from PMU line mothers and went for slaughter. Couldn't believe how many meat buyers there were. They had a Belgian mare who dropped a colt just before she was suppose to go and well you really can't ship the mother and leave the colt, so my mom and hubby bought them. Now they are both in a good home, they had to sell them cause they sold the barn....Just wish there was another way instead of the PMU line.

They are very beautiful creatures

[Barrett]

I hope you don't mind me replying to this thread since it is ment for Carrie.
I had to look up what a PMU horse was. My husband and I are looking for a small farm in Montana to purchase soon. I want horses since I grew up with them and I will definetly try to adopt a few of these foals and mothers when I can. My husband and I read all about them just now and he said he wants all of them! Bless his animal loving heart!

[dollface]

Nope I don't mind at all, just reading her thread (carrie) she owned horses so just thought I would ask.....If I had a farm I too would be buying up some of them, all if I could....When we lived on the farm I believe our first colt (mare) was from one of them.

[Carrie]

Oh, sorry I didn't notice this thread until just now. Wow, I didn't know about that. Well, I knew that they used that hormone for our drugs but didn't realize about this whole thing with adoptable horses. Gee, that would be nice to save some of them. It's incredible that all of them can't be adopted out and that some must be slaughtered. What a darn shame.

Barrett, it sounds like you have a really nice hubby. You're very lucky. So, whenever you're ready, go check it out. Sounds cool.

Yeah...I think it's terrible....any horse stuck in a stall for long periods, just terrible. You'd think they could collect it from other horses who are owned by regular people and use it that way. Are these horses specifically used for only that purpose? A-k-k!!!

[Barrett]

It's my dream to own a really small farm in Montana. All of the animals would be pets. I want two cows, a bunch of horses, pigmy goats, a sheep or two and maybe two Llamas. I want a regular Noahs Ark. Just for fun and mostly for rescue. The hubby wants a dachshund ranch like he saw in a commercial once. It was a cute commercial where cowboys were rounding up hundreds of weiner dogs like they were cattle. I told him it would be awfully expensive building a house big enough for hundreds of weiner dogs since they would NOT be sleeping outside! LOL Weiners were ment to be spoiled.

[Carrie]

LOL. Yes, they were meant to be spoiled. That sounds like a funny commercial. Well, you better start saving your money and some sanity. That sounds like a lot of animals. LOL.

[Pugdawg1]

I have dear friends that had a little farm outside Helena, Montana for years. They loved it up there. But the cold started getting to them, so they moved to so. Nevada. Actually they've bounced back and forth twice between so. nevada and montana. I myself love montana, though didnt get up there much, even though I myself grew up on a farm in wyoming, very close to the montana border. I've lived and breathed horses my entire life, up til 2 years ago when I moved from las vegas and came up here to Elko. I had a couple of geldings at that time that I sold. I am seriously considering purchasing a couple of horses within the next year or so. It's hard to not have, what has been a part of you, for as long as you can remember. I do miss them.

[dollface]

Birth control pill,penisillian (sp) ect and other medication the urin is collected for alot of those meds. There is very few going now (PMU Line) cause they are going into synsthetic medication (a man made pill), which is very good to hear. The foals are taken to a feed lot fed out to 900 pounds taken to Calgary, Japan ect for meat.

There will be a killing plant being built in Wosley and operational in the end of October slaughtering about 200 head of beef. These cattle will be dropped off at Candiac Auction Mart (which my parents just sold) being held for 7 days to clear them of imunization, then shipped to the killing plant....My parents who use to own Candiac Auction Mart had a horse sale first saturday of every month, they also had foal sales and exotic bird sales (like peacocks, chickens ect).

Never really realize what all goes into this Still sad tho

[lou3]

Actually not all the offspring go to slaughter, in fact less than 1% go to slaughter. I know someone who runs a massive PMU operation in the USA and in Twenty years of owning over 200 mares they have not sold a single foal to slaughter. The stuff put about is propaganda to encourage people to adopt the few foals that are in danger of going to slaughter as a last resort if not sold(which i totally support by the way, if you want to raise a foal go get a PMU baby) Also if you SEE the set up required to collect etc the urine you would understand that the suggestion to collect from "regular horses" is totally ludicrous.
If its so terrible for horses to be "stuck in stables" all day then you had better come "rescue" some of MY "poor beasts" immediately, they are all in stalls 24/7 at the moment because with the weather we've been having if i put them out on grass they would have laminitis like like a shot. They seem perfectly happy to me munching on their haynets and watching the comings and goings on the yard but hey if i'm doing something wrong - better let me know.
I am seeing all too often lately cases of people seeing an isolated case on some ridiculous propaganda site run by an "animal rights" organisation and thinking that because these people - who are essentially terrorists lobbying for a total end to human involvement with all animals - say so that it is the norm in the whole of that industry. It isnt, there are ISOLATED cases of cruelty, but they are as few and far between as the isolated cases of people abusing their pets. What we should be concentrating on is a better system of regulation and inspection to try and keep to an absolute minimum these isolated cases where animals are being abused.
Lou

[dollface]

lou3

My parents have been in this business for a very long time and since Iam their daughter I think I know very well what Iam talking about... He has been auctioning since 1969 and the horses are bought by meat buyers then sent out to a feed lot, once these horses weigh out to 700 pounds or more they are then slaughtered... The horses that are usually used are the Belgium, Clysdales, ect the bigger type horses.....People would come from all over to go to Candiac. We have order buyers in Canada that purchase foals off ther PMU and are shipped to the United States for slaughter...Yes they do try to have their foals adopted but 90% of them do go to slaughter.

You know someone in the States well that is one person compared to how many PMU Lines and buyers that come to this barn or other barns. I have seen all these colts first hand, have seen them weighed the night before, have seen them shipped as well....SO YES I CAN SAY I KNOW WHAT IAM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!

No one was attacking you on anything...These mares are kept in stables once pregnant with a catherater up them to collect the urine, before they are ready to drop then they are put out. I never said there is cruelty these animals are monitored, think about they are collecting their urin for us so that must be clean, up to standard.

[lou3]

Well then your parents method of disposing of the youngstock is obviously one of the loop-holes in the system through which vast numbers of horses slip to slaughter and one of the things we need to address.

[dollface]

Originally Posted by lou3

Well then your parents method of disposing of the youngstock is obviously one of the loop-holes in the system through which vast numbers of horses slip to slaughter and one of the things we need to address.

That was not my parents method, I said he was the auctioneer and he sold these animals, they did not send them there. When they sold thier business he was asked to be a buyer and he said NO cause he could not buy them himself knowing that is what they were buying them for. They also had a young mare who dropped a foal so they bought her so she wouldn't go to slaughter, can't ship a mare with a foal, and she is now in a lovely home and so is the foal....Horse meat is sent all over the place, believe that was put in my second or so post...With out the PMU line we would also not have the meds we have today....Its just sad on how this has to be for that, always something dies

[Carrie]

Good thing that Lou is gone. If she's so concerned about handing out misinformation, she sure screwed up with the horses. Horses that stand in stalls 24/7 without any turn out or walking around get "stocked up" (swollen) in the legs. Laminitis (founder) can happen if they turn out horses into a lush pasture when they've been in stalls all the time and not used to lush grass. If they put them out little by little each day and gradually work up, they are fine. They can limit the amount they eat by keeping them in a smaller section and rotating. If they're use to being out most all the time, they're fine. My horses had free choice whether to come in their barn or stay out. Weather??? She thinks the horses don't have brains? If they feel the need to come in out of the weather, let them. Horses live on the plains of Siberia. She's all worried about weather? How would she like to be locked in a dark, 12x12 stall 24/7 without seeing the surrounding goings on and running in the fresh air? Hmmmph! G-r-r-r!

Ok....now I feel better. LOL!

[dollface]

LOL

They beautiful animals tho... Went to the Arabian horse/half arabian horse show a couple of weeks ago and wow are they beautiful...I did get kinda bored sitting there so we all went into the back. I just had to pet them and get close up, my kids just loved it.

My favorites are the Tenesse Walking Horse, Arabian, Thourobred (sp), Tersky (which I think is extinct) and the Clysdale (if those are the ones with the fur at the bottom of their feet).

I just love horses

[Carrie]

Yes, the Clydesdale are beautiful with lots of hair on their fetlocks. I got to ride one of the Budweizer horses once when I was a teenager when I had my horse in a horse show where we stayed all weekend. They are smoooooooth to ride and soooo gentle.

Arabians are my favorties too. That's what my last horses were before I moved here three years ago.....mares. They're so unique and gorgeous, beautiful movers and very extra people oriented and smart....noted for that. They are one of the 3 or 4 truly, original purebred horses. All other "light" horses, the ones we ride are in some way desended from the Arabian, Turk and Barb...maybe a couple others...forget. They mixed with the larger European work horses when they were smuggled here and thats where we get the Thoroughbred and all the rest of 'em. In wars they could run circles around those European horses and won wars because of those lightening quick, fast and agile horses.

The Arab men way back when... treated their horses like we do our dogs. Brought them into their tents to sleep....kicked the wives out and loved those animals. They became genetically predisposed to be incredibly gentle and attentive toward people. They are spirited, but playful and unique in many ways. They have one fewer vertebra in their backs and tails which makes them have a very short coupled, flat top line kind of look and very, very strong for their small size. They have longer pasterns which give them a beautiful, springy gait which really absorbs shock. And they are the only horse which carries it's tail high naturally on account of that one fewer vertabra. And that dished face...Ahhhh. can you tell I miss my girls? LOL.

Sorry for all that, but I thought you might be into it just like I am. LOL.

Sounds like you enjoyed the show. The Tennessee Walkers are cool too....very cool!

Another cool breed I've been looking into is the Rocky Mountain Pleasure Horse....5 gaited like an American Saddle Bred but a calmer, more laid back disposition....very smooth. I got to ride one, a stallion at a breeding place in Washington and my goodness, you'd never know that was a stallion....so calm and laid back and you can litterally carry a full glass of wine while he's zipping around the ring at the rack gait. (very fast) That's where it is kind of like a trot only with a trot the diagonal legs move forward at the same time. The rack or pace (when pulling a cart) is where the two legs on the lateral, or same side move forward at the same time. Unbelievable, level, smooth ride!!!!! No bounce at all. They have classes in horse shows for other 5 gaited horses (only a few breeds) where they do carry a full glass of champaigne. (sp?) I can't spell worth a dang.

So, if you ever decide to get a horse, check that breed out. Not too many registered...fairly rare.