Ask Susan Thompson and her daughter Jamie if they can imagine a life without horses and they will respond with a resounding "no!" They love horses so much that they have made it their business to rescue as many endangered horses as possible at their Dunrovin Ranch in New River . The two horse rescuers started saving PMU foals and mares in 2001 and this year they founded their non-profit charity organization called Dreamchaser PMU Rescue and Rehabilitation. PMU stands for "pregnant mare's urine," which is used for the popular menopausal drug Premarin. In order to capture the mare's urine for the production of estrogen, the pregnant mares are kept narrowly confined for months with little exercise and water intake. After the foals are born they are usually shipped to slaughterhouses for their meat - a delicacy in some European and Asian countries. When the mares can no longer conceive, they too are shipped to the slaughterhouses and replaced on the "pee lines."

When Susan and Jamie first heard of the plight of these horses, they made it their mission to save them from slaughter, bring them up to good health and place them in a new home if possible. To help pay some of the bills associated with their care, they board horses at Dunrovin Ranch. Susan recently heard about some horses in Alberta , Canada that were headed to the slaughterhouse and bought as many as she could and had them shipped to Dunrovin - a very expensive venture. It costs an average of $1,300 to buy and ship these horses. Susan is not a wealthy woman and has "maxed out her American Express card" to rescue the horses from Canada . The everyday care of 32 horses is not cheap either, and so she is now asking for help from the community to continue this effort.

PMU foals and mares are unique in that they have had minimal handling by humans and are nervous around them. Susan and Jamie's job will be to re-nourish the horses, gentle them and give them all the necessary inoculations in preparation for adoption.

Daughter Jamie, who "grew up on the back of a horse" will graduate in December of this year from ASU with a BA in Education. She plans to go on to get her Masters in Counseling with her eye on the long-term goal of opening a riding program for disadvantaged kids at Dunrovin. "This is a great place here for kids," says Susan. We not only have the horses and the dogs, but we have ducks and chickens and a lot of fresh air for kids who haven't had a chance to experience outdoor life in the desert."

Dreamchaser PMU Rescue and Rehabilitation is hoping to obtain sponsors, adopters and donators to enable them to continue this important effort. They also could use many volunteers to help maintain the ranch, groom and walk the horses and clean the stalls. For animal lovers it should prove to be a rewarding experience to step up and help. As Susan states, "There is no feeling in the world like the one that comes over me when one of these precious animals turns their head to me and I finally see some trust in their eyes."

INFO> Dunrovin Ranch , 48019 N. 7 th Avenue, New River ; 623-910-6530; susan@dunrovinranch.com; www.dunrovinranch.com