AAEP Statement On PMU Ranches: "Through on-site investigations and peer review of ongoing research, the American Association of Equine Practitioners believes the collection of urine from pregnant mares and care of their offspring as prescribed by the recommended Code of Practice represents responsible management of horses to produce a commodity for the benefit of mankind that should not result in abuse, neglect, or inhumane treatment of horses."

Editor’s note: On Jan. 10, I was part of a tour to four pregnant mare urine (PMU) ranches in Alberta, Canada. The tour was conducted by Norm Luba, executive director of the North American Equine Ranching Information Council (NAERIC), which is a non-profit coalition of PMU ranchers in Canada and the United States. Included in this tour group was a PhD in animal welfare; a horse specialist with the Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development department; a founder of the Performance Horse Registry; and a director of international livestock programs at a U.S. university. This group attended the Horse Breeders and Owners Conference in Red Deer, Alberta, following the tour.

The temperatures in the area at that time ranged from -12 to -40 (Fahrenheit). Livestock we passed along the roadside, cattle and horses, were left mainly to fend for themselves, with drifts reaching the top of three-strand barbed wire fences in many places, and large round bales of hay often the only shelter from the windy conditions. Snow covered the backs of horses and cattle as they foraged through the fields.

Prior to this trip, I had been interested in the controversy surrounding PMU ranching. I was in the audience at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Welfare Committee meeting last fall, when PMU ranching was one of the hottest topics of debate. Animal rights and welfare groups were on hand, as were representatives of the ranchers from the provinces and states (North Dakota) where PMU ranching is a way of life. I read through a 2.5-inch stack of information from a variety of sources, including confidential reports from veterinarians and welfare group representatives who inspected PMU ranches in 1995. There also have been published reports from the American Association of Equine Practitioners, who were represented by Nat Messer, DVM, on inspection tours in 1995, 1996, and 1997