Equine Angels: Stories of Rescue, Love, and Hope

Equine Angelsis a celebration of the journey of horses and foals saved from slaughter. Accompanied by 200 stunning full-color photographs, it tells the surprising and moving stories of how these foals have changed the lives of the human families who adopt them—for the rescuers are often the ones redeemed when opening their hearts to an unwanted foal.

The book focuses on the tens of thousands of foals born annually only so that their mothers can provide pharmaceutical companies with the hormones their bodies create during pregnancy. These foals—known as “PMU foals” (PMU being short for “pregnant mare urine,” a key ingredient of the drug Premarin)—are in effect, are unwanted byproducts. Normally they are taken from their mothers and sent to slaughter. There are more than 250 farms in North America—most of them in Canada—housing tens of thousands of mares, in agonizing conditions, for this purpose.

Those photos grouped into the chapters “Birth” and “Rescue” are especially dramatic. Given their semi-wild conditions, these horses have a ruggedly beautiful, ungroomed appearance. In later chapters, we see the transformation of once-wild creatures into loving and intelligent companions for their human families. Included are stories of successes great and small: foals growing up to be successful national competitors, therapy horses, and other productive members of horse society. These foals give back more than they take. Heartwarming and beautiful to look at, Equine Angels will inspire and delight.

Inside you will find:

200 amazing color photos showing horses with a rare rugged beauty

Tells the story of how these foals have changed the lives of the people who adopt them

Shows the transformation of once-wild creatures into loving and intelligent companions

Addresses an issue that frequently captures headlines

Tens of thousands of “PMU” foals are slaughtered in North America each year because they are unwanted byproducts of a process to extract hormones for human hormone-replacement therapy

From the introduction:

The human participants of Equine Angels Rescue Sanctuary could not sit idly by while these magnificent horses were killed. If it was just a matter of those lives saved, that would be enough, but fortunately, we have come to know the greater potential of these angelic equines. Each of the horses from EARS has touched and uplifted several human lives along the rescue path.

Frank Weller received the American Red Cross Hero Award in April 2007 for work on PMU foal rescue. He is the founder of the Equine Angels Rescue Sanctuary (EARS), a nonprofit organization that saves horses from slaughter by helping them get adopted into loving homes. A filmmaker by training, he has long been passionate about volunteer organizations, having worked as a producer and volunteer for AmeriCares, the international relief organization, and Special Olympics International. Frank lives in New Milford, Connecticut.