Alaska may saddle horse market

MAT-SU -- It's amazing the lengths some parents will go to satisfy the desires of their children.

Little did Janet Burts know when she and her daughters were looking online for foals several months ago that she would soon be caring for 21 horses, all under 6 months old.

Burts and her two daughters, Aubrey, 10, and Evva, 7, began casually looking for a horse in area horse journals and shoppers four months ago. It didn't take long, Burts said, before they decided they should pursue another avenue.

"My kids don't need a $6,500 foal," Burts said. "And what if I screw up when I'm training it?"

Burts began looking online and, through another Web site, stumbled upon a photo of a foal available for adoption through Foal Train, a group based in Alabama. The group finds homes for PMU foals -- the offspring of mares that some horse ranchers use to produce pregnant mare urine, the primary source of estrogen in hormone replacement therapy drugs such as Premarin and Prempro.

According to information from the North American Equine Ranching Information Council, more than 400 NAERIC-member ranches collect urine for use in estrogen-replacement therapy drugs. Most of those ranches are located in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as in the state of North Dakota. Most ranches are under exclusive contracts to provide the estrogen-rich urine to Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories for the manufacture of Premarin, an estrogen-replacement drug that came on the market in 1941 and now serves more than 22 million women world-wide.

NAERIC information states that typical ranches that belong to their organization care for about 80 brood mares. Urine is collected for about 150 days, from mid-October, when the mares are at least 120 days in-foal, to mid-March, six to eight weeks before foaling begins. During the collection period, mares spend much of their time in stalls, wearing a flexible rubber collection pouch suspended on pulleys to allow movement. According to NAERIC, ranches must adhere to strict codes of practice outlining nutrition, exercise, veterinary care and barn environment guidelines. If found to be out of compliance, production contracts can be canceled. NAERIC information states the code of practice has been endorsed by the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta departments of agriculture, and by the North Dakota Board of Animal Health.

After Burts researched PMU horses, she said she felt finding homes for PMU foals seemed like more than a good idea -- it fit the direction her life had recently taken. Not long ago, Burts worked with a non-profit organization called Between Us, which provides first-aid kits for women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. In talking with her friend Mary Katzke, who produced the documentary video "Between Us" included in the first-aid kit, Burts realized that breast-cancer survivors who go through chemotherapy are among the millions of women taking estrogen-replacement drugs. The more she thought about it, Burts said, the more sense it made from a purely personal perspective.

"Here I am, a woman who, at some point in my life, will have to take an estrogen supplement," Burts said. "I'd better start storing up my karma."

Burts called Foal Train organizer Elizabeth Creamer to discuss her application and told her the two horses she had picked would be frolicking on as-yet undeveloped acres, but asked for help ironing out the details, such as finding someone to haul the horses to Alaska for less than the $1,800-a-head price Burts had been quoted.

Creamer promised to help find a hauler -- a task she said would be easier if Burts took more horses. Burts started talking to friends about the foals, and they began to catch her enthusiasm. A friend said she wanted two horses, as did another and another -- all the while, the deadline for sending in a deposit to secure the horses was fast approaching. Soon, Burts said, eight horses had been picked, but several of the people who had picked those horses backed out.

"Now I had eight horses -- enough to haul -- and only two of them I had picked," Burts said.

Before she knew it, she said, PMU ranchers got word that a shipment of horses was going to Alaska -- the first venture of PMU horses into the 49th state. A few of the ranchers asked Burts to take one or two of their best foals as well.

"It just snowballed," Burts said. "One day I sat there in my chair and said 'Oh my god, I've got 16 horses

coming."

Burts got a call from a PMU rancher letting her know that a hauler had been found -- and, by the way, could she take an additional five horses? Burts agreed to take the additional horses.

But as quickly as the horses were added to the load, they've found homes. The week before the horses were to arrive, Burts said, her phone was abuzz with people wanting to know if the PMU foals had arrived, and if any were still available for adoption.

"Saturday, 15 people were here," Burts said of Sept. 21. "By Saturday, I only had to find homes for five horses. Then, as of last night [Sept. 24], I only had to find homes for two."

By last weekend, the two remaining foals had homes and Burts' pool of horses has now shrunk to five -- three the family is keeping and two they are boarding for a short time. Burts said the demand has made her plan for another shipment already.

"We all agreed, we're going to do it next year," Burts said.

Darcy and Hal King, who also live on Soapstone Road, were at the Burts' property last week to get their filly, Joli Bu. This isn't the first time the Kings have owned or trained a horse, but they're both looking forward to working with Joli and believe the adoption program is beneficial for Alaskans and the PMU ranchers.

"It provides a service for the placement of horses -- good horses -- in Alaska," Darcy King said. "It's pretty expensive to bring up a horse from the Lower 48."

Creamer said she's excited about an Alaskan branch of Foal Train, and was glad to see Burts take the horses.

"She's done an amazing job," Creamer said. "This is the first time ever that a load like that has gone to Alaska. What Janet has been through, trying to get a hauler … she's been a real trooper. I want her to be a success and get some more babies up there."

Creamer said the way she got involved in adopting PMU foals isn't that different than Burts' -- she, too, was looking for a foal for her daughter in 2001. She read about PMU foals in a magazine article and got in touch with a foal rescue group in North Dakota. Creamer said she, too, realized that shipping more than one horse would allow her to split the shipping fees and, after distributing flyers advertising the foal placement, she and Amy Boddie, who was also looking for a foal at the time, created FoalRescue.com, the precursor to Foal Train.

"This is our second foaling season," Creamer said. "In this one season, since May, we've placed 191 [foals]."

Creamer and Burts are among just a few people around North America who are taking an active part in placing these foals in good homes. Creamer said a large part of the success of the PMU adoption program is due to the commitment of PMU ranchers. Most ranches take the foals to auction, Creamer said, where their future rests on the whimsy of the buyer, and where the foals very rarely end up as a cared-for pet. However some ranchers are seeking a change in the way foals are sold.

"It's a lot of trouble for them," Creamer said. "In the past they've just loaded them up and taken them to auction. This has really been a win-win situation for everyone -- they have the satisfaction that their horses are going to good homes."

And, in return, Creamer said, would-be horse owners can get a good horse. Many ranches are now investing tens of thousands of dollars in stallions, in hopes of encouraging adoption of their horses. Many ranches register the foals with NAERIC and reputable breeding groups, so adopters are getting a well-bred, papered horse at a fraction of the usual cost. Burts said the horses she adopted out cost an average of about $890, which included the cost of adoption, hauling, a veterinary fee and a customs processing fee. And most of all, Burts said, it provides an alternative to Alaskans seeking good horses.

Although this shipment of foals has already found homes, people interested in adopting a PMU foal in the future can contact Burts to find out more about the process. Burts can be reached at 746-3225 or by e-mailing her at n17dl@aol.com.