Thoughts on PMU foals...

Lucky Duck · 08-24-2004, 06:27 AM

I don't know what you guys think of PMU foals, but I just saw the following on an Equine Adoption Agency's website:

We have thousands of unwanted horses in the US that need homes, good horses that are going to auction every day, that are sound, sane and many are even trained, why in the world are we taking Canada's untrained, unwanted horses too? Over 50,000 PMU's have come into the US this year and many of those will be in our auctions and slaughter houses next year because the people who are buying and adopting them don't know about training a baby or training an older horse. We have hundreds of american horses being slaughtered every day because people are getting PMU horses and foals from Canada instead of adopting or buying American horses and next year the slaughters will be full of PMU foals because their adoption applications do not confirm that the people know about horses, it only confirms that they can pay for the foal and for the transport. We all feel badly for unwanted animals or horses but these horses are not unwanted, they will be sold to Canadians. This is like going to Canada to adopt their dogs when all our shelters are full or even going under because no one is adopting. Then the next year all the PMU adopters will be asking adoption programs to take these horses because they can't handle them or train them but many of the programs like ours won't be here to help because they will have already gone under. By adopting a PMU foal or mare you are turn away an american horse that needs a home, leaving many to end up in slaughter or to be put down by their owner even though they are healthy and sound just because they can't find homes for them. I'm still getting emails about PMU foals.... when is this going to stop? I'll tell you when... Never, as long as we continue to buy these horses from Canadian breeders.

I was just in Alberta and met some of the Canadians that have these farms and some that have bought horses from the PMU farms, they are using Americans because none of those horses go to slaughter, they sell them to Canadians. They say they are going to send them to slaughter because they know Americans will buy them when they say that and every year that Americans buy their herd for that year, they will breed again, regardless of whether there is a PMU estrogen market because they know they can make money off of Americans. There are great horses in your own back yard that need homes that are sound, sane, young and many are trained, so why have horses shipped in from Alberta or BC, it costs you more to get an untrained PMU than it will ever cost you to adopt or buy an American horse because of the shipping and none of them come with shots, there is no background information and many are traveling with strangles that can infect your entire herd. All the horses coming from the US adoption programs come with their shots and have background information with them. Let's take care of our own horses before we start taking horses from other countries. Once we have our own horses cared for then we can focus on helping another country with theirs. We just had an adopter back out of an adoption who just paid a small fortune to get PMU foals, even she admitted it cost her a lot of money to finally get them and neither will be old enough to be ridden for 2 more years, yet she backed out on our adoption because we asked her to commit to caring for our horses and she could get PMU foals with no commitment at all, without questions about her knowledge, her fanancial stability or facilities. Is this the type of person we want taking these young untrained horses in the first place? These untrained horses are coming into to the US and going to untrained people, potentially no training, not necessarily even appropriate facilities and who may not even be financially stable and who don't want to make any commitment to keep them or care for them.... that causes a huge problem for everyone because the US ends up with an enormous number of unwanted, untrained horses in the US and I'm sure Canada won't bale us out when we have an excess of horses needing homes and no place for them to go. We need to start helping our US born and bred horses but choosing to buy and adopt in the US and thus letting the Canadians know that there is not a market here for their over breeding.

What do you guys think? Personally, I was floored by it... when we have the space and $, we were thinking about getting a PMU foal.

harli36 · 08-24-2004, 06:40 AM

I have to agree with some of what this person had to say but not all. Actually with the research done there are VERY few(if any) PMU FOALS that go to slaughter. However I do believe that with the addition of all of these foals to our horse world that they increase the number of horses going to slaughter. The PMU's may not go to slaughter but what happens when someone "adopts" a PMU when they could have bought another horse. So now the other horse doesn't have a home and gets sent to slaughter instead of the PMU. This however isn't just a problem with PMU but is a problem with any in volume breeder.

I also think that a lot of the PMU "adoption" organizations are horse traders not adoption agencies that like to throw the idea around that the horse is going to slaughter to tug on our heart strings. Only if the horse is at the auction house, gets bought by a meat buyer and then rescued by the agency can it be said the horse was "saved from slaughter".

But who cares what country the horse came from. If it needs a home it needs a home. This year did have a huge number of PMU's that needed to be sold (sold not adopted) but that was because the canadian govt. made the PMU's downsize. So that huge influx shouldn't happen again.

emsNkeeper · 08-24-2004, 06:45 AM

I would love to take on a PMU foal... when I'm good and ready and have the facilities. Where I was boarding, two girls took on two PMU foals. I know they got the foals for 200 a peice, but have put over 5000 into vet bills. These guys have almost died like 4 times. They get so sick so easily, it was sad cause Journey always had a cathiter(sp) in his neck. Everyone at the barn helped out on the feeding schedule though. Just be sure you're ready for what will happen and need to be done. They need to be fed 6+ times a day, expensive fake milk stuff that's hard to find, get sick easily and you are mom. You are the one they are going to try things out on... like jumping on your back or biting. You have to be very... well not mean, but disciplining. But if you think you're ready, go for it... even though they're little buggers it's rewarding.

It's sad that we don't get our own horses, but some of the horses from canada have more done with them, not the foals... but I've visited sights where the PMU farms claim to even work with the horses, riding wise and the horses are actually registerable. When I'm well set up and ready, I'd like to take one on... but that'll be a while, at least once I'm out of college.

QTRgirl · 08-24-2004, 10:09 AM

I am picking up a PMU mare in about 2 weeks; however, she is already here, and of course because the people who originally bought her couldn't handle her, they sold her to the women I'm buying her from, because she doesn't want to work with her. Ugh! I agree that they know we have soft hearts, because if they weren't making big bucks on the foals they would stop having them. I certainly wouldn't breed just for the sake of breeding and not know what I was going to do with the offspring. It doesn't make sense. I'm like everyone else I look at those cute foals, and full in love, but the cost is outrageous. If they really cared about finding them good homes they would lower the prices, and figure out how to get them here without charging an arm and a leg.

Lucky Duck · 08-24-2004, 10:31 AM

I guess the way I see it is that horses deserve a chance no matter where they are from... and I don't think PMU farms are over-breeding because they can 'sell' the foals to Americans. The foals are simply a by-product of PMU... I am sure they get much more $ from that than any of the foals.

However, I agree with you QTRgirl, If they really cared about finding them good homes they would lower the prices, and figure out how to get them here without charging an arm and a leg.

cowgurly02 · 08-24-2004, 11:00 AM

I don't agree with that. I live in Alberta. There are 10 PMU farms within 40 minutes from my house. My aunt and uncle own and operate one. MOST barns raise high quality registered horses and don't even send them to rescues, they sell them privately to Canadians. And the horses are extremely well looked after, they HAVE to be. There are barn inspections that enforce this.

There are barely any foals that end up in the slaughter houses. If American Rescues want to buy the foals, they can. I don't think it really matters where the horses come from.

Very few foals actually go to the Rescues. The majority of barns raise REGISTERED, high quality horses and have their own sales. Every September there are TUNZ of PMU foal sales and meat buyers aren't even allowed to come to some of them.

Cayenne_spice · 08-24-2004, 12:11 PM

I have a pmu foal (well not really a foal anymore lol) she is going for training next month.... most farms are nice the mares have open pastures and nice barns. I think that i heard that the "bad" farms with cruel ways were shut down. the farms are finding that they pmu foals are not throw away foals. cayenne my pmu baby is wonderful and will make a perfact trail horse, so many of the farms are giving the foals to adoption agenceys and selling them themselves. i love cayenne, since she is half draft she has that daft personalilty, she is a real sweetie. Amnd yes now they are useing high qualitly blood lines becausre the farms can sell them and make money, now the barns are alot better then befor and the mares stalions and babys are well taken care of.......

roanypony · 12-24-2006, 01:19 PM

I love PMU foals. Me and my friend think that my mare was a PMU foal. It's funny, because most PMU foals come out gorgeous and talented more than a lot of purebreds.

My mare is awesome, a diamond in the rough, unbelievable color, can pretty much will and do anything. Sorry for bragging but ...

In addition to that, my friend's aunt adopted a PMU foal, she's adorable, is gonna be big, and is a sweet heart.

I would take on a PMU foal anytime.

lilrider · 12-24-2006, 01:23 PM

Old Thread

08-24-2004, 06:27 AM	#1
Lucky Duck Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,357 Images: 58	Thoughts on PMU foals... I don't know what you guys think of PMU foals, but I just saw the following on an Equine Adoption Agency's website: We have thousands of unwanted horses in the US that need homes, good horses that are going to auction every day, that are sound, sane and many are even trained, why in the world are we taking Canada's untrained, unwanted horses too? Over 50,000 PMU's have come into the US this year and many of those will be in our auctions and slaughter houses next year because the people who are buying and adopting them don't know about training a baby or training an older horse. We have hundreds of american horses being slaughtered every day because people are getting PMU horses and foals from Canada instead of adopting or buying American horses and next year the slaughters will be full of PMU foals because their adoption applications do not confirm that the people know about horses, it only confirms that they can pay for the foal and for the transport. We all feel badly for unwanted animals or horses but these horses are not unwanted, they will be sold to Canadians. This is like going to Canada to adopt their dogs when all our shelters are full or even going under because no one is adopting. Then the next year all the PMU adopters will be asking adoption programs to take these horses because they can't handle them or train them but many of the programs like ours won't be here to help because they will have already gone under. By adopting a PMU foal or mare you are turn away an american horse that needs a home, leaving many to end up in slaughter or to be put down by their owner even though they are healthy and sound just because they can't find homes for them. I'm still getting emails about PMU foals.... when is this going to stop? I'll tell you when... Never, as long as we continue to buy these horses from Canadian breeders. I was just in Alberta and met some of the Canadians that have these farms and some that have bought horses from the PMU farms, they are using Americans because none of those horses go to slaughter, they sell them to Canadians. They say they are going to send them to slaughter because they know Americans will buy them when they say that and every year that Americans buy their herd for that year, they will breed again, regardless of whether there is a PMU estrogen market because they know they can make money off of Americans. There are great horses in your own back yard that need homes that are sound, sane, young and many are trained, so why have horses shipped in from Alberta or BC, it costs you more to get an untrained PMU than it will ever cost you to adopt or buy an American horse because of the shipping and none of them come with shots, there is no background information and many are traveling with strangles that can infect your entire herd. All the horses coming from the US adoption programs come with their shots and have background information with them. Let's take care of our own horses before we start taking horses from other countries. Once we have our own horses cared for then we can focus on helping another country with theirs. We just had an adopter back out of an adoption who just paid a small fortune to get PMU foals, even she admitted it cost her a lot of money to finally get them and neither will be old enough to be ridden for 2 more years, yet she backed out on our adoption because we asked her to commit to caring for our horses and she could get PMU foals with no commitment at all, without questions about her knowledge, her fanancial stability or facilities. Is this the type of person we want taking these young untrained horses in the first place? These untrained horses are coming into to the US and going to untrained people, potentially no training, not necessarily even appropriate facilities and who may not even be financially stable and who don't want to make any commitment to keep them or care for them.... that causes a huge problem for everyone because the US ends up with an enormous number of unwanted, untrained horses in the US and I'm sure Canada won't bale us out when we have an excess of horses needing homes and no place for them to go. We need to start helping our US born and bred horses but choosing to buy and adopt in the US and thus letting the Canadians know that there is not a market here for their over breeding. What do you guys think? Personally, I was floored by it... when we have the space and $, we were thinking about getting a PMU foal.

08-24-2004, 06:40 AM	#2
harli36 Senior Member+ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: northeastern Pa Posts: 4,226 Images: 42	I have to agree with some of what this person had to say but not all. Actually with the research done there are VERY few(if any) PMU FOALS that go to slaughter. However I do believe that with the addition of all of these foals to our horse world that they increase the number of horses going to slaughter. The PMU's may not go to slaughter but what happens when someone "adopts" a PMU when they could have bought another horse. So now the other horse doesn't have a home and gets sent to slaughter instead of the PMU. This however isn't just a problem with PMU but is a problem with any in volume breeder. I also think that a lot of the PMU "adoption" organizations are horse traders not adoption agencies that like to throw the idea around that the horse is going to slaughter to tug on our heart strings. Only if the horse is at the auction house, gets bought by a meat buyer and then rescued by the agency can it be said the horse was "saved from slaughter". But who cares what country the horse came from. If it needs a home it needs a home. This year did have a huge number of PMU's that needed to be sold (sold not adopted) but that was because the canadian govt. made the PMU's downsize. So that huge influx shouldn't happen again. __________________ The Morgan Horse! Everything else is just a horse. http://www.morganhorse.com/

08-24-2004, 11:00 AM	#6
cowgurly02 Senior Member+ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 9,524 Images: 237 Blog Entries: 364	I don't agree with that. I live in Alberta. There are 10 PMU farms within 40 minutes from my house. My aunt and uncle own and operate one. MOST barns raise high quality registered horses and don't even send them to rescues, they sell them privately to Canadians. And the horses are extremely well looked after, they HAVE to be. There are barn inspections that enforce this. There are barely any foals that end up in the slaughter houses. If American Rescues want to buy the foals, they can. I don't think it really matters where the horses come from. Very few foals actually go to the Rescues. The majority of barns raise REGISTERED, high quality horses and have their own sales. Every September there are TUNZ of PMU foal sales and meat buyers aren't even allowed to come to some of them. __________________ "I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is." - Zoolander Last edited by cowgurly02; 08-24-2004 at 11:16 AM.

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08-24-2004, 06:45 AM	#3
emsNkeeper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Pennsylvainia Posts: 666	I would love to take on a PMU foal... when I'm good and ready and have the facilities. Where I was boarding, two girls took on two PMU foals. I know they got the foals for 200 a peice, but have put over 5000 into vet bills. These guys have almost died like 4 times. They get so sick so easily, it was sad cause Journey always had a cathiter(sp) in his neck. Everyone at the barn helped out on the feeding schedule though. Just be sure you're ready for what will happen and need to be done. They need to be fed 6+ times a day, expensive fake milk stuff that's hard to find, get sick easily and you are mom. You are the one they are going to try things out on... like jumping on your back or biting. You have to be very... well not mean, but disciplining. But if you think you're ready, go for it... even though they're little buggers it's rewarding. It's sad that we don't get our own horses, but some of the horses from canada have more done with them, not the foals... but I've visited sights where the PMU farms claim to even work with the horses, riding wise and the horses are actually registerable. When I'm well set up and ready, I'd like to take one on... but that'll be a while, at least once I'm out of college.

08-24-2004, 10:09 AM	#4
QTRgirl Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,055	I am picking up a PMU mare in about 2 weeks; however, she is already here, and of course because the people who originally bought her couldn't handle her, they sold her to the women I'm buying her from, because she doesn't want to work with her. Ugh! I agree that they know we have soft hearts, because if they weren't making big bucks on the foals they would stop having them. I certainly wouldn't breed just for the sake of breeding and not know what I was going to do with the offspring. It doesn't make sense. I'm like everyone else I look at those cute foals, and full in love, but the cost is outrageous. If they really cared about finding them good homes they would lower the prices, and figure out how to get them here without charging an arm and a leg.

08-24-2004, 10:31 AM	#5
Lucky Duck Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,357 Images: 58	I guess the way I see it is that horses deserve a chance no matter where they are from... and I don't think PMU farms are over-breeding because they can 'sell' the foals to Americans. The foals are simply a by-product of PMU... I am sure they get much more $ from that than any of the foals. However, I agree with you QTRgirl, If they really cared about finding them good homes they would lower the prices, and figure out how to get them here without charging an arm and a leg.

08-24-2004, 12:11 PM	#7
Cayenne_spice Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Washington Posts: 488	I have a pmu foal (well not really a foal anymore lol) she is going for training next month.... most farms are nice the mares have open pastures and nice barns. I think that i heard that the "bad" farms with cruel ways were shut down. the farms are finding that they pmu foals are not throw away foals. cayenne my pmu baby is wonderful and will make a perfact trail horse, so many of the farms are giving the foals to adoption agenceys and selling them themselves. i love cayenne, since she is half draft she has that daft personalilty, she is a real sweetie. Amnd yes now they are useing high qualitly blood lines becausre the farms can sell them and make money, now the barns are alot better then befor and the mares stalions and babys are well taken care of.......

12-24-2006, 01:19 PM	#8
roanypony Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 586	I love PMU foals. Me and my friend think that my mare was a PMU foal. It's funny, because most PMU foals come out gorgeous and talented more than a lot of purebreds. My mare is awesome, a diamond in the rough, unbelievable color, can pretty much will and do anything. Sorry for bragging but ... In addition to that, my friend's aunt adopted a PMU foal, she's adorable, is gonna be big, and is a sweet heart. I would take on a PMU foal anytime.