Castleton Ranch Horse Rescue has been pro-active in and around our community saving many horses from a variety of different situations. Whether it has been from the auction yard and the killer buyers, racetrack, PMU farm or a private residence, we are committed to ensure the welfare and dignity of all horses. All of the horses which arrive at our rescue have their own unique story about how they came to be here, however the one thing they all have in common is a need of being given the opportunity to have a happy and healthy life.
About Thoroughbreds from the Racing World
At the end of a Thoroughbred's racing career their futures can be very uncertain. Despite giving their best efforts at the track a horse's career can be cut short through injury or simply because they were not fast enough to race. These horses however can have a happy and productive life in some other discipline away from the track. It is not uncommon for racing Thoroughbreds to excel at Show jumping and Dressage, or simply to be a happy trail horse, all they require is a second chance. We have helped a number of Thoroughbreds to find a new and happy life and we will continue to make ourselves available to help any horse who can no longer race. We have recently taken a new initiative toward those Thoroughbred's who cannot continue with their racing careers or participate in our re-training and rehabilitation programs by dedicating a part of our ranch for their permanent retirement. These horses will be able to live the rest of their lives in a caring and peaceful environment. We are very proud to be associated with Thoroughbred Charities of America who's mission is "To provide a better life for Thoroughbreds, both during and after their racing careers by supporting retirement, rescue and research and by helping the people who work with them" For more information contact www.ThoroughbredCharities.org
About PMU Horses
A PMU horse is one that was either used on a PMU farm or foaled from one of the mares on the farm. A PMU farm is where mares are bred so that their urine can be collected. From the urine a hormone can be extracted to make a hormone replacement drug which is often prescribed to ease the symptoms associated with menopause. Some years ago there were, in the Northern USA and Canada hundred's of PMU Farms. The foals born each year numbered about 60,000 and 70% of these ended up going to slaughter.The foals were considered a by-product and no thought given to their welfare. Unfortunately, the mares too were treated far from humanely. They were bred over and over to maximize the urine extraction process. They are kept on a production line environment having to stand constantly with a bag attached to collect the urine. Their lives are far from good.
The PMU industry, which is self regulating!! claim to have made improvements in the conditions at the farms. Thankfully many PMU farms have closed. There are however still many thousand's of mares still on production lines producing urine and foals.
We feel very strongly against the use of the mares for this drug production. Even if improvements in conditions have been made it is still an unacceptable situation. We cannot forget the terrible treatment endured by thousands of horses. We still believe that many horses are at risk today.
For more information about the PMU farms you can visit www.premarin.org. This is an extremely informative website and is well worth viewing. Also take a look at www.equineadvocates.com and see the conditions of the urine collection process for yourself. The Humane Society of The United States www.hsus.org and www.aspca.org will also give you an in depth picture of these urine farms .
Many of the horses which arrive at our rescue have been the victims of inhumane care. Even basic maintenance such as farrier care, worming and vaccinations have sadly been ignored. It is therefore important that we correct this situation prior to any re-training or rehabilitation. Each horse receives evaluation and an appropriate feeding and exercise program is put in place. Many of the problems we encounter concern the horses feet. A lack of proper attention can contribute to, and cause problems in other areas. We place much importance on firstly fixing any feet problems before moving forward.
Find out about each horse on the pages following this one.
