What happens to PMU mares?
For approximately six months from fall through spring, the pregnant mares live in the “pee barns,” forced to stand in stalls with urine collection devices strapped to them. The stalls are deliberately narrow to prevent pregnant mares from turning around and detaching the collection cups. In the last month of their eleven-month pregnancy, the mares are put out to pasture to have their foals. The mares are put in a herd with a stallion, so they quickly become pregnant again. In September, their foals are taken away from them to be sold, whether or not they are fully weaned. The next month, they’re back in the barns and the cycle starts again. The organization that represents the interests of the PMU ranchers, the North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC), considers it “a testament to her health and strength” if a mare can have a foal each year for 20 years. Currently, approximately 5,600 PMU mares live on 70 contracted ranches primarily located in Saskatchewan and Manit
