I consider myself very 'blessed' and 'looked after' by the universe. I work hard at giving back in the human world and now I want to do the same in the animal world. I have, as you have, always been a horse lover and when I was introduced to the Brooke Hospital for animals and saw the program of compassion and care they take to hard working horses in the remotest regions of the world and education for their owners, I was truly inspired to find my own path to help! Then when I was doing the research for my Menopause book and learned about the Premarin mares and their foals, I knew that was what I had to do, start my own horse sanctuary, a sanctuary offering love and apples. A home where they know nothing bad will happen to them again and they can begin their healing process, both physical and spiritual. A place where they can live happily ever after just being a horse. A place where you would want to live if you came back as a horse! Our goal would be to place them in new and loving homes. What happens to the Premarin Mares? Well, to produce Premarin and Prempro/Premphase, mares are forced to stand in barns too narrow to turn around or lie down, with their legs stretched out, and a collection cup attached to their urethras. They get little or no exercise so their legs swell up and their water intake is kept to the minimum to concentrate the estrogen. Now these horses are pregnant because that's when they produce the estrogen. They are kept pregnant for as many a 7 or 8 years in a row until they are too old, too tired or too depressed to stand in the 'pee lines' and their reward is a one way trip to the slaughter house where their meat is sold overseas to Japan and France, for human consumption. The story is just as tragic for the Premarin foals. Some of the fillies are allowed to grow up and replace their worn out mothers but mostly, and especially, the foals are weaned too early, taken to auction where they're sold by the pound to killer-buyers, fattened in feed lots and sent straight to slaughter. Believe it or not some Drs. as well as most of the women on H.R.T, are unaware of what they are taking, or it's source. This is so very sad because there are alternatives to Premarin. Premarin, Premphase and Prempro are the only hormones derived from horse urine. All the others are derived from synthetic or plant sources. Now you know why I have to do this and I hope you will help me. I am very lucky to have a man who is 100% behind me on this. Bless him.