{"id":6953,"date":"2020-12-13T21:20:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T02:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=6953"},"modified":"2020-12-13T21:28:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T02:28:02","slug":"episode-194-spartacus-marjories-horse-came-from-an-estrogen-mare-a-sad-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=6953","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 194 SPARTACUS….MARJORIE’S HORSE…CAME FROM AN ESTROGEN MARE…A SAD STORY"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Note:  \u201cA little too much about us, Alan.\u201d   Which is true.  Writers are  encouraged  to write<\/div>\n
about what they know\u2026not about what they do  not know.  I suspect a lot of writers clothe<\/div>\n
their stories in things about themselves then tell the stories in the third person to escape <\/div>\n
that trap.  I like writing in the first person.  If you find that a bit too personal the answer is simple.<\/div>\n
as I have said often,..just press delete.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

EPISODE  194   SPARTCUS  \u2026 HIS MOM WAS AN ESTROGEN MARE WHOSE LIFE WAS GRIM<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Dec.2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Spartacus was a pinto gelding.  He was Marjorie\u2019s horse shortly after we had the boys.  Sprtacus was<\/div>\n
foaled from an Estrogen mare stabled in a secluded barn somewhere in Wellington County.  In the 1960;s<\/div>\n
there were many such barns  filled with pregnant mares.  Why\u201d   Because estrogen could  be distilled from<\/div>\n
the urine of pregnant mares.   Profitable.  Estrogen was a key chemical that relieved women\u2019s experience<\/div>\n
with menopause.   Little if  anything was said about the source of estrogen in the last half of the 20th <\/div>\n
century.  The source  was the urine of pregnant mares\u2026called  PMU (Pregnant Mares Urine).<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
When Marjorie got Spartacus  I had  never heard of the word estrogen.  What we did hear was<\/div>\n
that Spartacus was  one lucky animal.   The fate of foals from PMU horses was grim indeed\u2026they<\/div>\n
were  expendable\u2026slaughtered.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
That was why we called him Sparatcus. Like the Roman slave who entertained Romans.  \u201cSparky\u201d for <\/div>\n
short.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Anyone who buys a horse takes on a  big responsibility.  Horses require care.  Horses cost money\u2026<\/div>\n
often lots of money.  In our case we were spared the big costs because my Uncle and Aunt ,  Frank<\/div>\n
and Lucinda Freeman agreed to board Sparky with their two horses both of which were still used<\/div>\n
for transportation in winter months when the roads were impassable due to snow drifts.  A team<\/div>\n
of horses could take a bob sleigh over and through the deepest of drifts where a car or truck could<\/div>\n
never go.  If a horse got stuck, he or she could be unharnessed and  get out.  A car stuck in a<\/div>\n
big drift was stuck, really stuck.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Later Sparky was stabled  with Lorne and Carole Ssunders with their two horses.  Both barns <\/div>\n
did not have electrify.   I always got n unsettled  feeling in those dark  barns just knowing that<\/div>\n
horses  were standing in  the stalls looking at us as  we moved through the stable inside our<\/div>\n
little circle of lamplight (Naptha gas lanterns).  Uncle Frank  feared electricity\u2026linked it to many<\/div>\n
barn fires. He  was correct.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I was  a failure with Sparky.  Never trusted him.   My fault rather than his.  Animals know  when<\/div>\n
a human is nervous\u2026distrustful\u2026scared.  Just as they know when a  human is at ease\u2026trustful\u2026<\/div>\n
confident.   My fear seemed justified  when Sparky tried to kick me in the balls with his back left <\/div>\n
hoof one night in Uncle Frank\u2019s dark barn.  I was nervous but tried to keep a stiff upper lip<\/div>\n
and be friendly.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cGood Evening, Sparky, nice  winter night\u2026warm in here.\u201d<\/div>\n
And I patted him on the left bum at which point he shot his shod left hoof at<\/div>\n
an angle aimed at my thingamabob.  Lucky.  I was in the next stall so  all  he got was a wooden plank.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie,  Sparky tried to kick me\u2026to neuter me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat did  you do?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTouched him on the flank and said Good evening\u2026or Hi, Sparky\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou startled  him Alan.  Never strike a horse on the back flank unless<\/div>\n
he knows you are there.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBloody nearly castrated me.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot his fault.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI thought you were counting on my 50% involvement making babies.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDid you say 50%?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI did\u2026goddamn nearly lost my works.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDid you say  50%?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI hate to say this Alan.  The role of men in raising children does not<\/div>\n
come close to 50%.  More like 10%   But we will see.  \u201c<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
My nervousness with Sparky never changed.   I just could not trust him.<\/div>\n
One autumn day Marjorie asked me to give her a boost up on to Sparky.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThat means I have to get close to him, Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t bite you.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot sure about that\u2026he\u2019s looking at me.:\u2019<\/div>\n
\u201cJust give me a boost.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOK, here goes\u2026:<\/div>\n
\u201cYOWEEEE!\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere did you go?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou boosted  me so  hard that I flew right over Sparky\u2026landed<\/div>\n
on pile of rocks\u2026I think my arm is broken.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Her arm  was  broken\u2026cracked.   Marjorie never asked for<\/div>\n
another boost as long as we had  Sparky.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sadly, one day Marjorie said we would have to sell Sparky.  She was <\/div>\n
having difficulty getting pregnant so  Sparky was sold  to a Doctor\u2019s<\/div>\n
wife, Dr. Kunica , who had a big farm down near Hornby.  Marjorie<\/div>\n
rode him down there.  I think she cried  all the way.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The end result was OK  She got pregnant with Andrew almost<\/div>\n
immediately.   My role, as she figured, was closer to 10% in<\/div>\n
the business of child  rearing.  Never did get on to the business<\/div>\n
of changing diapers.  Goddamn safety pins.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I much preferred being the third male child in our family.<\/div>\n
No diaper duty but lots of fun.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Sparky may not have liked me.  But I cared for him.  Glad he<\/div>\n
had been rescued from the hell of an Estrogen barn where mares<\/div>\n
stood chained for six months of every year with some contraption <\/div>\n
that collected their urine.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Farming is  not all  sweetness  and light.  For some farmers life<\/div>\n
is a very nasty treadmill that demands life and death decisions<\/div>\n
with each step.  Imagine your life as an estrogen producer;<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
dec. 2020<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Dec. 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Below is a short version of the Estrogen story.  In the 1990\u2019s these mares got more attention.  But the business<\/div>\n
of collecting Mares urine continues.   The barn below is much cleaner than the barns where mares were<\/div>\n
kept in the 1960\u2019s.  All the same it is  a very bad  life for them.  Do not read  the story below.  It is not nice.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Pfizer<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

The Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) Industry: What you need to know<\/h1>\n

<\/h4>\n
\"\"
Marie, in her former life as a PMU horse, before she was rescued by the Ark Watch Foundation and eventually brought to Duchess where she lived out the rest of her days in comfort and peace.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

The Pregnant Mare Urine or PMU Industry produces pharmaceuticals containing the urine of impregnated horses. Many consumers are unaware of the cruel and inhumane treatment these horses often endure. They are routinely impregnated and confined to stalls for the sole purpose of facilitating the collection of their urine. The products are used to treat symptoms of menopause, but the advertising doesn\u2019t mention the source of the ingredients.<\/p>\n

Between our Duchess Sanctuary<\/a> in Oregon and the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch<\/a> in Texas, The Fund for Animals is caring for and providing lifetime sanctuary to more than 150 horses saved from the PMU industry.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn more about what\u2019s currently happening in the PMU Industry.<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

A: PMU stands for Pregnant Mare Urine. The hormones in the urine are used to manufacture Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) products for women. The most commonly known drug produced with equine urine is Premarin\u00ae, now manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (Pfizer purchased Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, the original manufacturer of the drug, in 2009). Other products include Prempro\u00ae, Premphase\u00ae and the newly approved Duavee\u00ae\u2014a combination osteoporosis-menopause drug. In 1990, Premarin\u00ae was the most widely prescribed drug in the United States and in 1997 it became Wyeth\u2019s first one billion dollar drug.<\/p>\n

Q: How are the horses used?<\/span>
A: Pregnant mares are often kept in narrow tie stalls for approximately 6 months of the year with a urine collection harness in place. It\u2019s an inhumane life for an animal designed to be in near constant motion. While in theory they have room to lie down, they cannot turn around or take more than a few steps forwards or backwards. In addition to the hardship for the mares, many of the resulting foals end up in the slaughter pipeline because they are considered by-products of this industry.<\/p>\n

Q: How many horses are affected?<\/span>
A: Although the number of mares in PMU barns has decreased significantly from an estimated high of 55-60,000 in the late 1990\u2019s, and there are no farms operating in the United States, right now there are reportedly 2,500 to 3,000 mares on PMU farms in Canada. In addition, Pfizer is now contracting with PMU farms overseas in countries like China, Poland and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note:  \u201cA little too much about us, Alan.\u201d   Which is true.  Writers are  encouraged  to write about what they know\u2026not about what they do  not know.  I suspect a lot of writers clothe their stories in things about themselves then tell the stories in the third person to escape  that trap.  I like writing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6953\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}