I love you, will you be my Mommy? Shani, found out about our farm online, she had been researching PMU horses and had an interest in rescuing one. When she visited, she met the horse of her dreams, Cavalli. There was an immediate connection between the two of them and everyone took note. Cavalli was her horse and she did not give Shani time to even think about passing her up. She was adopted and is being boarded and trained with us. Shani's relationship with her beautiful black filly amazes us daily. The little horse absolutely adores her and looks for her when she visits. Please read Shani's story (bottom of this page) about her personal experience with the drug, PREMARIN and why this beautiful woman felt the need to rescue a horse!

Shani can't be without her "Cavalli girl" for very long, so she visits several times a week. Immediately after her visit with Cavalli, I would find her buried in the new weanling herd, trying very hard to make friends with one little tri-colored paint filly that had caught her eye. "I don't know what it is about her," Shani told me, "but I feel a real connection with her even though I have not been able to touch her much and I want to be the first. She is so different in nature from Cavalli, I just can not explain what I feel about her." Recently Shani and her husband, found themselves looking to purchase horse property in this interesting phenomena that seems to happen to many of our adopters which is the progression from city dweller to ranch owner. The new home that Shani and Andy are considering will allow them to keep several horses. Shani was very excited by this and and idea was brewing for a special little horse inside that baby paddock.

Shani surprises her Father with a Christmas baby!

The baby load that was delivered in late October, was finding homes quickly and the sooner "they" decided to become "people friendly," the sooner someone new comes along and falls madly in love and adopts them. It was not long after the thought of being able to live with horses in her own backyard, that Shani decided she better adopt the pretty little, still very shy, filly, before someone else had a chance. Shani had decided that the filly would be a wonderful Christmas gift for her Father who had been wanting a horse. Just days before Christmas, Shani was out, video camera in hand, asking me to "break the news to Dad" about his new baby horse. I had to speak on the video that she would be editing to surprise him with his Christmas present. The plan was to show Dad the video Christmas morning and then bring him to the ranch to meet his baby in person. It was wonderful. When the family arrived, it was obvious that Dad was beside himself. Into the baby paddock he headed, carrot bag in hand with a huge smile on his face. This was just the way Shani imagined, and she was able to give her Dad one of the most precious gifts ever. We did not hear a word from Shani's Dad that afternoon, he was surrounded by all the horses and of course his very own little one, (who I believe took one bite from the end of the carrot and immediately ran away!). But Dad, called soon afterwards to say that he was sorry that he did not say much to anyone that day... and it was only because he was so overwhelmed with joy. Of course everyone here understood. He went home to decide on a name and came up with a Native American word, "Natane", which means "little child". Natane it is, and happy they are. Shani is here often making progress with Natane, and excited with every breakthrough. She is determined that she will be the first to gain complete trust with Natane. We feel blessed to have met this wonderful family as we see them deepen their relationships and change their lives, and we know that this is all based around their love for one another and their love of these horses. Thank you Shani, for believing in these horses and giving them a wonderful life with you and your family. We wish you all a lifetime of health, happiness and joy!

Shani's Story - Please Read. I was as “normal” as any other girl in her twenties at the point of my diagnosis. I was in my prime or so I thought. After going into my Gynecologist for a routine visit, my doctor became concerned about my physical discomfort during the examination and decided to send me in for more tests. After seeing 3 doctors (2 of whom radically disagreed with my situation - one, a Professor of Gynecological Oncology practically dismissing my case altogether) and a series of radiologists, it was decided that I should have experimental surgery. It was finally determined that I had Ovarian Cancer – something very rare for a girl in her twenties and had scheduled an immediate hysterectomy – removing all of my reproductive organs. It was an extremely traumatic time but I was thankful to do the surgery to try to prevent any further damage and hopefully be able to recover. The amazing thing that happens when having a hysterectomy is the body goes into immediate Menopause. Here I was a girl in her twenties experiencing hot flashes, night sweats and was prescribed Premarin, a hormone replacement drug to replicate the estrogen my body no longer produced. Being a good patient, I followed my doctor’s orders and complied. After a period of time, I began to “panic” at the thought of taking a pill for the rest of my life. I began to research a bit to find out if there were alternatives. I learned that there were holistic and plant based alternatives, things that could be bought without a prescription and called my doctor. I was told that this was not the only issue that one of the main concerns was the fact that due to the lack of estrogen, my body would develop brittle bones and that this particular pill would prevent this. Again, I complied – continuing to take the drug. Several years down the line, I learned through discussion among some women that Premarin came from horse urine. That was certainly not expected and again began to think of other alternatives not so much because I was completely uncomfortable with that idea but just that perhaps there was again some other option. I called my doctor with my same request and was told I could go to a compounding pharmacy that specialized in creating plant based drugs and decided to explore that route. I began taking a new replacement pill – supposedly the equivalent to Premarin only to find out that my insurance would not accept it. Again, this was a pill I would be taking for many years to come. So I decided to go back to the Premarin. Almost ten years later, I stumbled upon a website about horse rescue. A vegetarian and animal rights advocate, I read on to learn of the horses’ particular issue. It turned out they were called PMU Horses. The absolute “fall out” from the Premarin industry. I learned that horses were kept in stalls standing for hours confined with a catheter-like contraption attached to harvest their urine. The horses were constantly impregnated until they were no longer serviceable at which point they were put up for auction –along with their respective offspring and usually ended up in the hands of slaughter houses. I was horrified. I was financially contributing to an industry that was deplorable and wondered how many American women like me were in the dark. Each day, finding themselves routinely popping a pill which was harvested in such a way. Such a widely prescribed drug, I found it amazing that it was never really discussed just where it came from and thought it interesting how we so randomly just take our doctor’s word without any thought of exactly WHAT we are taking or just from where it comes. Ironically, about the same time, it was being widely promoted that hormone replacement therapy could contribute to a greater risk of breast cancer and many women were re-thinking the subject of taking drugs such as Premarin. Again, I went back to my doctor, raised the question and said I needed an alternative and if I had to go back to compounding pharmacy I would and would forego the insurance help but I would no longer take Premarin. Fortunately, he prescribed another drug for me called Menest which was apparently going to do “the same thing” and I didn’t have to go to the compound pharmacy. After taking the Premarin for more than ten years, I found myself at my doctor’s office and decided to ask ( I had seen the sign there for several years) if I should take the bone density test that was being offered. I realized that since that was something I was supposed to be medicating for my protection, that I seemed like the likely candidate. And even though I hadn’t been told to take the test, I had encountered so many discrepancies and surprises in my medical journey that I was going to be pro-active. I asked my doctor if I could take the bone density test and after his initial sort of shock at my request – usually much older women would be doing this, he started to tell me that it wasn’t really necessary and then paused and reflected on my personal scenario and said yes, that I should. I took the test with one of his nurses which was only about 15 minutes of my time and with immediate results. I was called into his office and he began to tell me of my situation. My bones were in the condition of a woman in her eighties!!! I was horrified – yet again. Since I usually don’t show emotion in such a case, choosing to just “handle it”, I begin to ask what I was to do. I was prescribed another drug to begin taking which would supposedly “reverse the bone loss”. I then began to take it, trying to not feel like a victim but to just do what was necessary to restore my health. I had osteoporosis in my thirties! After being compliant for a spell of time, and staying focused mentally on my work and life, I started noticing the constant advertising of this new drug I was taking, only to remind me of how many women were fighting osteoporosis and already aware of the fact that that same demographic were in menopause. I began to process my situation, allowing myself to really feel what had happened to me. I was a girl in her twenties who began taking a drug with one of it’s main purposes to be to prevent bone loss and over 10 ten years later, I had the body of an eighty-year old woman. I realized that those “other” women, the ones in their 50’s and 60’s, would obviously expect to have weakened bones and were being given osteoporosis drugs, if necessary, but what about the fact that Premarin was supposed to prevent bone loss? I was the perfect specimen. I began to reflect that I could have taken something herbal for the hot flashes and night sweats and could have just as easily taken a healthy dose of calcium or other minerals to help my bones combat the situation but I was told that Premarin was what would work. I remembered the horrible industry that existed to create the drug that clearly didn’t even work for me and suddenly had an epiphany – I may be the one person who could expose the truth. Women in their later years would not be able to represent whether Premarin helped prevent bone loss, that their bodies’ bones hadn’t simply deteriorated naturally BEFORE reaching menopause in their later years. However, I was a perfect case study. I now want to share my story for all the women who have struggled with the idea of taking hormones replacement drugs and worried about the relationship to breast cancer. But most importantly to inform them of not only where this drug comes from, how it is harvested and the fact that it DIDN’T WORK. The natural alternatives were there all along and I had pushed for them but was told that Premarin would prevent my bone loss - I had been deceived. I believe every woman deserves to know exactly WHAT they are being told to put in their bodies, WHERE it comes from and fully understand that they are having drugs promoted by pharmaceutical companies and the doctors who represent their performance that may not even work at all. With Premarin, this was the case. *** From the Premarin.com website: “PREMARIN, an estrogen, is proven to increase bone mass and help prevent post-menopausal osteoporosis (bone loss).”