In January 2024, JoAnn Burchuk and Lisa Keslar of Cheers for Charity NH interviewed Phyllis about Hidden Pond Farm Equine Rescue. Phyllis talks about how she got into horse rescue, the importance of educating people about options for their horses when they can no longer afford to keep them, and practical matters like the high cost of hay these days. (Hear all about the horse now living at the Rescue that was running free with a moose in Sterling, MA one summer!)
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Camp Desperado is a wrap!
Our first summer camp season is over, and in spite of heat and humidity, it was a smashing success! In each of the six 5-day sessions, campers learned basic farm and horse safety, how to groom and lead, and got some time in the saddle, along with games, writing assignments, and team projects. The riding exercises included learning to balance on a horse while walking and trotting, and how to steer through cones and obstacle courses without relying solely on the reins. We’re already looking forward to next summer!
The Premarin Postcard Campaign
Let’s get the word out to doctors and their patients, so they’ll stop prescribing and using Premarin. And let’s send a big message to Pfizer, the huge pharmaceutical company that manufactures Premarin and other equine-urine-based products.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Send postcards to Pfizer. Send postcards to Pfizer executives, strongly encouraging them to stop making Premarin and other equine-urine-synthesized hormone products because they are abusing and killing horses in the process. Pfizer could produce synthetic hormone creams and oral drugs instead, which would put the “mares’ urine” industry out of business, ending the horses’ suffering. (If you can find postcards that have cute pictures of mares and foals, they may be more likely to be seen by the recipients.)
Write to the people who manage the company at Pfizer’s Corporate Headquarters: 235 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017
[SAMPLE MESSAGE]
Dear [Person’s Name],
I was horrified to learn that the conjugated estrogen in Premarin and several of your other products is derived from pregnant mares’ urine, collected from mares forced to stand in stalls for 6 months at a time—and that their foals often end up in kill pens.
Women love horses. As more women learn about this, they certainly won’t love Pfizer. I won’t be using any Pfizer products until you stop abusing horses. And I will be spreading the word to all of my friends on social media.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] or “A Concerned Patient, Customer & Horse Lover”
2. Send a postcard to your doctor and every OB/GYN in your area. Their office addresses are easy to find online.
[SAMPLE MESSAGE]
Dear [Doctor’s Name],
If you prescribe Premarin or similar treatments for your patients, please ensure that they are aware that both drugs are derived from pregnant mares’ urine, collected from mares forced to stand in stalls for 6 months at a time—and that their foals often end up in kill pens.
Most women love horses, and many of those taking Premarin or Duavee have no idea where the estrogen in those products comes from. They should be fully informed, and should also know about the synthetic options that are available that work as effectively as Premarin for most women.
Please educate your patients so they can make an informed choice.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
EXTRA CREDIT:
Send letters/postcards to the makers of the synthetic alternatives, encouraging them to educate doctors and women about the main ingredient of Premarin and other Pfizer hormone products, and suggesting that they market their products as horse-friendly alternatives:
Estrace is made by Allergan. Their executive team: https://www.allergan.com/about/executive-leadership
(They make big contributions to various causes, so ask them to contribute to the ASPCA to end the mares’ and foals’ suffering.) Alex Kelly is an Executive VP and the Chief Communications Officer.
Allergan Customer Operations Center of Excellence address:
Allergan
301 W Howard Lane, Suite 100
Austin, TX 78753
Allergan US Administrative Headquarters address:
Allergan
5 Giralda Farms
Madison, NJ 07940
Angeliq is made by Bayer Pharmaceuticals (which just acquired Monsanto…). Angeliq is used to treat symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, and vaginal dryness, burning, and irritation.
It’s a huge company — you’ll need to explore their website to figure out where to send postcards. NOTE: There may be an opportunity to take a two-pronged approach, since they produce drugs for women’s health and for animal health
Enjuvia is made by Duramed Pharmaceuticals, which is owned by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, LTD (a company that produces a lot of generic drugs, it seems). Their corporate officers:
http://www.tevapharm.com/about/teva_corporate_officers/
Main Corporate Office Address:
TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA
1090 Horsham Rd
North Wales, PA 19454
NOTE: The person who might be most interested in a marketing campaign that involved stopping the horse abuse is the Executive Vice President of Global Brand & Communications, Iris Beck-Codner.
On their website, they state that one of their values is:
“We care. We care about sustainable healthcare. We care about the wellbeing of our patients, the communities we touch, and the planet we live on.” Let’s hold them to it.
