Southeast Ga. ranchers helping rescue hundreds of horses

<p>Some Southeast Georgia ranchers are helping find homes for hundreds of horses at risk of slaughter because of cutbacks of hormone replacement therapy drugs by a pharmaceutical company.</p><p>Ramona and Bill Kirkland of Kirkland Kreek, about 45 miles south of Augusta, are teaming up with other farmers in the area as part of the effort.</p><p>The Kirklands have placed nearly 100 horses and expect more to be shipped to their ranches in Swainsboro and Alma in the next few months as downsizing worsens.</p><p>Hundreds of farmers are out of business and thousands of horses are now in danger of slaughter houses and feed lots if they are not bought by someone, said Ramona Kirkland.</p><p>She added, We understand we cannot save them all, but we also know there are people who would love to help save some if we could just reach them in time. We need foster homes, adoptive homes and donations of all kinds.</p><p>The horses are at risk because pills produced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals that use chemicals extracted from the urine of pregnant horses to ease menopausal symptoms for women have come under fire in recent months, causing sales to plunge. The drop-off has forced the company to cut its horse herds.</p><p>A federally funded study found last year that women who take hormone replacement pills after menopause nearly double their risk of heart attacks during the first year of treatment, and that estrogen-progestin pills do not reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and might even increase it.</p><p>As a result, orders for Prempro and sales of Premarin, a top-selling HRT drug, have dramatically decreased. In response, Wyeth has fired 25 percent of its 400 horse ranchers, leaving about 20,000 healthy horses, whose owners milked them for urine, up for sale.</p><p>Farmers are trying to sell the excess mares and foals because it costs too much to feed and graze them.</p><p>Various types of Premarin horses can be obtained through the Kirklands in southeast Georgia. Adoption fees range from about $750 to $1,050 per horse.</p>

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