In 1986, an organization called Horse Aid was the first reported equine related organization to do an investigation of PMU farms.

In a 1988 issue of Equine Times News where they state alarming reports of abuse including:

• emaciation of mares and foals
• confinement for weeks-months without exercise
• narrow confined stalls
• crowded paddocks housing foals and mares
• premature death of mares and foals
• mass graves of slaughtered foals and mares
• infections, chafing and lesions from urine collection device
• water restrictions to increase estrogen concentration in urine

(Horse Aid, 2004),  (PETA, 2015)

A 1996 study into the incidence of foal mortality found that of 334 foals born, 22% died before 10 days of age and 74% of these deaths occurred within the 8 hours of birth.

The major causes of foal mortality included:

• starvation/exposure 27%
• septicemia 26%
• dystocia 20%

(Haas et. al, 1998).