Women such as "Jeanne" proclaim in a testimonial on a Wyeth Pharmaceutical-sponsored website, "Premarin brought my life back into a normal balance, and I thought it made it [menopause] more bearable."

Thus the story moves to Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, with global operations consisting of 37 manufacturing facilities in 17 countries and marketing products in over 60 nations. Wyeth created Premarin, even giving this replacement hormone its name which derives from its source: mare urine, or PMU for Premarin Mare Urine.

The story shifts to the horses, found primarily in Canada's prairie provinces.

Wyeth needs mare urine. According to an undated article published by the Humane Society of the United States, "There are an estimated 500 PMU farms in North America, with the vast majority located in the prairie provinces of western Canada. About 30 PMU farms exist in North Dakota, near the Canadian border, and more have reportedly been established in Minnesota. Almost all PMU farms are under an exclusive contract to provide pregnant mares' urine to Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories."

The story changed after a 2005 study showed a link between cancer and Premarin. Although Premarin is still produced, promoted and prescribed today, the number of ranches producing mare urine declined. Today only 60 plants remain, all located in Manitoba near the processing facility, known throughout the industry as the "pee plant."

The story - and the horses - now moves to one small town called Viking, located in Alberta, about 65 miles from Edmonton with a population barely above one thousand folks.

And continues thousands of miles away to a 66-acre property in the foothills of Santa Maria, California, in the heart of the state's Central Coast.

Jennifer Johns and Cheryl Forbes bought that property in 1999 and formed The Animali Farm with the express purpose of saving Premarin horses. The Animali Farm began working with three PMU ranches in that one little town in Northern Alberta to help them place their horses after they lost their contracts.

Although The Animali Farm began rescuing PMU horses in 1999, over the last several years the need to place horses skyrocketed. At first, the ranchers, whose economic lives are always marginal, held auctions. Horse slaughter agents bought about half of the horses. The ranchers grouped together and bought half of those back.

"Three years ago the ranches in

Alberta started losing their contracts," according to The Animali Farm.
"At that time there were 19 PMU ranches in Alberta. Most of them had been horse breeders that were recruited into the PMU industry in the early 1990's.

"When these ranches were actively in the PMU business they had over 1500 mares in their barns, and many other horses such as stallions and young horses. On one day, 130 to 140 ranches lost their contracts.

"Currently these ranchers have about 180 mares between all seven of them. Most of these mares, along with stallions, geldings and young stock are all listed on our website."

The Animali Farm received approval as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2003, allowing the two women to fundraise and save even more horses.

One of the ranches, called OK Appaloosa, saved 400 horses from slaughter through Animali alone.

"The horses with the most urgent need are the pregnant mares," said Jennifer. "We have about 100 pregnant mares listed on our website right now. There are Appaloosas, Percherons, Belgians, Canadians, Sporthorse types and even a Tennessee Walker.

"In addition to the pregnant mares there are stallions, geldings, young horses and weanlings still needing homes. The ranchers really need to get them all placed and we are working hard to make sure that happens."

The horses arrive at Animali barely halter broke. Volunteers train them to increase salability. Of course, a green horse sells for much less than a trained one. In fact, Animali makes only $200 per green horse, charging only the amount necessary to reimburse the shipping costs from Canada.

One horse that became high on this author's wish list sells for an Adoption Fee of $3500.00 which includes Coggins/Border and Shipping to a central drop site, up to 2000 miles. This registered Canadian gelding, named Marv-ell Blackjack Midas, foaled on May 7, 2002. The rancher says he is jet-black, will mature at or near 15 hands, and has about 100 drives on him."

Mohawk is just one of the hundreds of horses saved by Jennifer and Cheryl, and just one of the hundreds that need or will need homes.

Please visit the Animali Farm, and perhaps you'll start a journey of your own. www.theanimalifarm.com