Horse Cremation Services - I've had a horrible thought.

[Turtlebay69]

I was in bed last night thinking, and a horrible thought came into my head. I was thinking about my gelding, who is ripening with age, and what if he passed away? What happens, who do I call - just horrible thoughts.

But, on a serious note, who do I call? These things need to be thought about, as I wouldn't want to pick a company that does this service in my state of bereavement and make a mistake, I'd like a company that is highly recommended. So.. does anybody recommend a professional and sympathetic company that handles horse cremation? I would 100% have him cremated and would like the ashes. A friend of mine said that she once used a company that came and fetched her pony from her yard, and as the owners did not think she was watching, she saw them bending her horses legs in all unnatural positions and heard things cracking!!!! Which is any horse owners absolute nightmare and makes me sick to the stomach.

God forbid that I dont have to use these services for many years to come *prays*, but I want some good recommendations from horsey friends just incase the worst ever does happen.

Just to let you all know, I am Leicestershire based.

 

[Shooting Star]

Not in your area so can't help with local ones but yard owners and vets are generally a good place to ask for recommendations for these sort of services.

Sadly though sometimes they do have to do unpleasant things to the body in order to take it away - especially if there has been a bit of a delay between death & collection or if the horse is pts in the stable. Most vets that I know will attempt to remove the horse from the box before pts if they can

 

[DJ]

Put in horse cremation services in your area, and talk to your vets as they usually know the best people in this field.


It isn`t nice to think of at any time to be honest, but even with 2 young horses i looked into this and looked for local recommendations. I stored the number in my phone 'just in case' ... little was i to know that i would lose my 2 year old to colic just a few months later ..... It made it "easier" having the number to hand there and then, and knowing it was a good thoughtful company (they were, they were kind, showed a lot of compassion and dealt with it all from start to finish) ...... Hope you don`t need the numbers for a good while yet though

 

[hnmisty]

A friend of mine said that she once used a company that came and fetched her pony from her yard, and as the owners did not think she was watching, she saw them bending her horses legs in all unnatural positions and heard things cracking!!!! Which is any horse owners absolute nightmare and makes me sick to the stomach

My pony was PTS in her stable. My poor dad, who had given her the injection, then had to get her out of the stable before she stiffened up. Getting a half ton carcass onto a lorry is never going to be a pleasant thing to watch, and for that reason I didn't see either of mine be taken away, even though I was with them to the end.

Your local knackerman would be able to collect the carcass. They tend to cover a fairly wide area, and I'm sure I've seen some advertising in H&H. Personally, I don't see the point in getting ashes back, and I'm not surprised that people have paid for individual cremation and haven't had it. In fact, Cooper, the bloke who was caught doing that a couple of years or so ago, is the one who took both my ponies away, he's an acquaintance of my dad through the farming world.

Your vets will be able to tell you of some local services they recommend.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

Got mine through the vets, my YO arranged it as I was too hysterical and raw to deal with it tbh. I have Seren upstairs in my spare room, I was recently shown a link to a web site who can turn your horses ashes into jewellery, pricey, but am thinking this is exactly what I want to do

 

[paulineh]

When I lost my pony a few years ago my local Livery yard told me who to get. The company who collected him were very professional, I got his ashes back and his front shoes.

I recently lost my New Forest mare and this time my vet sorted it out. The hunt came and collected her. I did not have her ashes.

 

[TandD]

A friend of mine said that she once used a company that came and fetched her pony from her yard, and as the owners did not think she was watching, she saw them bending her horses legs in all unnatural positions and heard things cracking!!!.

Unfortunately a horse or pony is a large animal to move and can never really be gracefully done. I think most are now winched into a truck, but obviously have to be moved and positioned in the truck to be secure. It's the one thing I could never watch at the vets. Disgusting injures, moving recently dead horses, even shooting! But when ever that truck came I hid in the yard and found something to keep my self preoccupied with! The only bit of advise I can give is when the time comes is to walk away when they load your horse! Remember him peaceful and calm.

 

[showjump2003]

This is something I had to go through in April when I had to make the hard decision to have my horse put to sleep after 17 years together. Because it was planned I had almost a week to make the arrangements.

I did research on the internet and found a company (not local to you though) that offered everything I wanted. I knew I wanted individual collection and cremation. The company was very professional, came out with a 4 x 4 and converted Ifor Williams trailer with a winch system in the back. The man was qualified to put horses down with a bolt gun also but I didn't opt for this, vet came out to pts for me.

Having phoned around a few companies one recomendation I will make is you check the company actually have their own crematorium. Quite a few didn't disclose this on their website but on asking I found out they took the horses somewhere else and weren't involved in it themselves. Because of this it most likely ment the horse wouldn't be cremated the same day. The thought of my pony being left in a storage unit for what could be a few days made me ill

The company I used had their own crematorium and guaranteed she would be cremated the same day. I had individual cremation but didn't wanted the ashes back.

I stayed with my pony till she was gone but left when the man arrived to collect her. I didn't need to see her being pulled into the back of the trailer

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

It's good OP that you're thinking about this beforehand with a cool head.

Um, without being insensitive, can I invite you to consider other forms of PTS? i.e. asking the local hunt to come and deal with the situation??? Although I appreciate you've said you want the ashes back........ but often its better to say goodbye and that's it, kind of thing, rather than have a pot of ashes that can encourage one to morbidity and in any case you don't quite know what to do with it. We planted a tree over my old boy's ashes, but we've got lots of room on our own place to do that.

The reason I suggest the hunt is because they are professionals and know their job and how to do it; and one of the things they would do gladly is to talk through your options with you. These things are never pleasant but IME if the owner is confident with the professional they engage - and can then say their goodbyes and then let the pro's step in, its a lot better all round.

And whichever method you choose; the body will have to be loaded up and taken away. Most professionals would gently steer the owner away from this part of the proceedings; i.e. you would perhaps spend some time with the body, as long as you needed, then you'll usually be ushered away while the loading up takes place.

When I had my old boy PTS; the vets arranged the collection of the body with a local firm, I didn't have to do anything, which was a relief.

Personally, if you are going the lethal injection method, I would expect the vet to ask you whether you'd like them to organise the collection, and what your wishes are as regards shoes/ashes etc.

 

[Turtlebay69]

Hi all, and thankyou all for your opinions and experiences.

To be honest I have never thought of any other options other than cremation, I think it is just personal preference, and I have had him since a yearling - the thought of not having him in my possession makes me feel upset! So I don't think that would be an option. However.. I wouldn't know where to put them - that is true!

Showjump2003 - I would prefer own crematorium, I have seen a few companies online that provide that. I think it is great that they do this.

I think I was just mortified at hearing that from my friend without thinking about how heavy they are really and the stiffening. It is a horrible situation and from everyone's advice it probably is not wise to watch a horse be loaded away after death.

Thankyou all for your opinions and experiences again though, it is really interesting to read everyones' different views!

 

[DJ]

I didn`t watch them load him up afterwards, i was away in the field sobbing into my other horses mane x

 

[BlackVelvet]

I think its always a good idea to have some kind of plan because trust me when the time comes your mind is a blur!
I used a cremation company who had also done my dogs a few years back, i have to say the lady was lovely. I phoned her early friday morning after B died at the vets suddenly, she rearranged her morning so they could collect him straight away. I didnt stay to watch as its not a memory i wanted, however the vet nurses said they spent a long time making sure they dont pull them around. By monday she personally dropped his ashes and his shoes off to my house, she was lovely. Spent about half an hour chatting about him and she said how handsome he must have been..it was pricey but worth it!

 

[Biglets Mummy]

Hi OP,
This is something that I too have recently given a lot of thought as having been in that dreadful place when you lose your friend .....I want my horses to have peace and dignity so i have discussed with my lovely new vet and my family what I have planned. i have done the same for my 2 dogs as well so I can relax knowing that I have thought it through. I have chosen a company that do individual cremations as I too want the ashes in with me when I go ! Have a look at the govening bodys website. they check standards at pet crems ( you do hear horror stories !!) but they visit and check all is as advertised ! I have chosen the one nearest me and have made a few enquiries to put my mind at rest. The association is
The association of Private Pet Cementries and Crematoria. www.appcc.org.uk.
Hoping we dont need to be using their services for many yearsd to come OP. Hope this helps.xxx

 

[Greylegs]

I have had a horse cremated by a company based in Shenton near Nuneaton who cover your area. They are called Kings Hill Cremations (which will probably get deleted!) but they were absolutely excellent. They can be found on Google. I got my precious boy's ashes back in a lovely wicker work basket, with a small posey of flowers on top. When they collected him, they were as gentle, kind and sensitive to my boy as they were to me and I really can't praise them enough. Totally brilliant. I had to have him PTS just 3 weeks after my mum died suddenly so I was still in a very fragile state anyway and the care and consideration I received was just great.

Something to consider though .... When I collected the ashes, the guy mentioned something which made my blood run a bit cold! He happened to point out (and I just had not considered it at all) that they are one of the few companies who cremate the horse whole! Sorry if this is a bit gory and upsetting but think it through and ask a few questions of whoever you chose when to moment arrives.

I know that, when my current lovely boy needs to go the same way, I'll call on them again.

 

[babymare]

My vet arranged for me and sorted the removel. Having seen horse carcasses removed i didnt want that memory of Baby in my head. Speak to your vet now for peace of mind before you have to think about it. Understanding what is avaiable in your area makes it "easier"( for want of better word) esp if unexpected x

 

[YorksG]

We are fortunate in having a very good disposal and cremation service locally. We also know the woman who runs it socially, which can lead to some surreal conversations once the deed is done! We always have remained present while the horse is despatched, but go in the house when the winching happens. We have never had the ashes back, although that is an option, with that firm. It is never pleasant when an animal weighing upwards of half a tonne has to be moved as an inert form, and some manoevering is innevitable.

 

[wildwhippet]

I can also highly recommend King's Hill in Shenton. PM me if you need the number. Haven't yet had to send a horse to them, but they've looked after two of my dogs. They may not be the cheapest, but absolutely unbeatable on care. Your horse will be treated with care & dignity from collection to return.
Do hope its a long time before I have to see them again tho!!!

 

[MiniMilton]

We must all be feeling a little morbid today. Just a few hours ago I was thinking about the logistics of burial, and how long I would have before the horse seized up. I would hate him to look uncomfortable in his final resting place

 

[Orangehorse]

The vets can tell you the options. I recently had to do this, and the offer was kennels, cremation or individual cremation, with a different price tag.

I have to say that the person who came was brilliant, calm, sympathetic and kind and wanted to know the pony's name. It was stress free for the pony and very quick and I wouldn't hestiate to have him again (although I hope I don't have to for many years).

Burial is quite difficult now, and is a bit of a grey area. It mustn't be anywhere near a watercourse and you do need a pretty big hole. I daresay people with plenty of their own land and a handy digger will still bury their animals. The local enviromental health people will probably have banned livery yards from doing any (more) burials.

 

[Chunkie]

OP, I also used Kings Hill when i lost my mare last year. They're only about 3 miles from me anyway, but they arrived very quickly, and although I couldn't watch them take my girl away, my OH said it was all done so carefully and she was handled very respectfully. He said she was completely covered as they put her into the trailer so you couldn't see a lot anyway. OH collected her ashes 2 days later & said its a really nice place too. I think it cost me £700.

 

[KSR]

If you are Leicestershire, use Owen at Kings Hill in Nuneaton.

They are fantastic, to the extent I still call them even though I've now moved to Devon.

Funeral directors couldn't do a better job with a human. They are second to none.

If you want more info, please PM me.

http://www.kingshillcremations.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=4240

 

[EstherYoung]

We used Yorkshire Equine Crematorium. I can't praise them enough - they were so sensitive and thoughtful, and they do exactly what it says on the tin. Not being funny though, I hope I don't have to use them again for a long time. In the last couple of years we've lost four But knowing that you've got a good contact who will turn up exactly when they say they will is a huge weight lifted.

 

[Mynstrel]

I'm not near enough to recommend anybody who'd be of use to you, but this is worth having a look at:

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Just-in-Case (it should be a link but might not work)

It covers everything you'd need to consider so you can plan how you want things to happen with a clear head and know it's written down so that if you're not in a state to deal with things then somebody else can make arrangements for you, or you can just follow your plan without having to think about who to call and what you want to do. Me and OH made use of ours last year and it helped us a lot.

 

[fatpiggy]

I made the decision about 5 months before my mare was put down so had time to make plans and put away the required money. I asked my friends for cremation recommendations. The vets did suggest another place but they were more expensive and it didn't strike me as particularly well organized. I used Leyland Crematorium and they were very kind, very professional and punctual. The man who came to collect her was very pleasant but obviously sensitive to my feelings and wasn't there to have a chat. I think he was rather surprised when I told him that I hoped that for the first time ever she would be good to load! A couple of days later I received a receipt and a nice personalised certificate with her name on and the date she was actually cremated - I'd gone for the group option with no ashes returned and I expect they needed to fill the cremator, so it took place the next day.

As for the breaking of limbs, well I'm afraid you can't fold horses up, their legs stick out at full stretch and getting them into a position to winch means sometimes extreme measure have to be taken - that is why vets are so reluctant to put down in a stable, unless its just a little pony. I have no doubt that undertakers sometimes have to do something like if rigor has set in and the body is say, jammed behind the bathroom door. Scraping up a putrified body can't be done all that gently either. But the body is just a shell (which is why I didn't want ashes returned), not the lovely animal or person it once housed and you just have to do what you have to do.

 

[Nicnac]

We must all be feeling a little morbid today. Just a few hours ago I was thinking about the logistics of burial, and how long I would have before the horse seized up. I would hate him to look uncomfortable in his final resting place

Both times when my horses have died it has been unexpected in that neither were sick nor sorry (one was very old and the other had a field accident) so I haven't had to proactively make the decision. Both are buried at home but I didn't partake in the moving from place of death to place of rest. The first time the hunt helped me out and the second time a friend with a digger. I did view them both to say goodbye before the grave was filled in and they were laid out 'properly'; i.e. on their sides with legs straight out.

If you do decide to bury at home jist be aware that a) the hole to be dug needs to be extremely large and deep and b) it does collapse after a few weeks as the body decomposes. Sorry if that offends but it's reality so don't plant anything on the grave until it's settled and you've been able to level it off.

Everything I've planted on animal's resting places whether dogs or horses has always flourished.

 

[AshTay]

I'm not actually sure what happened to my old boy's remains last year. He was pts by the vet and a local man took him away. I left straight after the vet had done her job and I'd had a few minutes with him. He was a beautiful white horse lying peacefully on the side of a hill in morning sunshine when I last saw him. That's where he'll always be to me. I walk over the spot regularly and think of him. I took some mane and tail and now have a necklace with a pendant made from his tail. I also have a couple of mementoes made from his old shoes (which I always used to keep for some reason..).
His name was Ash and he was pretty much pure white and somehow having him reduced to grey ashes and returned to me in a tin just didn't feel right. And with 2 other horses to consider, I couldn't justify the expense of an individual cremation. I don't regret not having his ashes back at all and I'll do it that way again when my other two have to leave.

I would recommend taking some (lots!) mane/tail before your horse is pts. I plaited some sections from underneath where it couldn't be seen (not that it matters) and it was a comfort to have that immediately afterwards (and it would have felt weird taking it when he was dead I think).

 

[angellauren]

I've not read all the replies on here but are you allowed to bury your own horse or pony if it's on your own land for example? That's what I think I'd like to do if it was possible.

 

[Maesfen]

TBH, I think as soon as you own a horse it is one of the things you should think about and plan what you'd want done. I know it sounds morbid but better to be prepared and have all numbers/names you need to hand than have to have a mad scrabble around on not be able to do things the way you want/need to do them. If it's all down in black and white (possibly kept with the passport) then if the worst happens and you can't be there, there is a record of what you want for possibly YO to go by.

I'm like a scout but always want to be well prepared for whatever life throws at us and that goes for what I want to happen to my horses too.

 

[Annagain]

My vet sorted everything when I lost my old boy. He was 27 but it was unexpected and sudden so I'd never made plans. My YO sent me home (after a cup of tea and a brandy) before the hunt arrived to pick him up and told me in no uncertain terms I wasn't to stay and watch. He was in his stable which was made worse by being in an awkward corner so she wouldn't let me see them take him.

Although it was the hunt, he was cremated and I had his ashes back. Many hunt kennels have incinerators to dispose of the parts they can't feed to the dogs so offer cremation as a sideline.

I can't say having his ashes back was a comfort to be honest. I know this wouldn't be everybody's story, but because the vet had organised it, the ashes went to them and then they phoned me to collect them. I then had to arrange a time when his old owner (a friend who'd moved away) could come back to scatter them with me. By the time it happened, nearly two months had passed and it just dragged it all back up again when I was starting to get through it, and I don't feel it gave me any closure - it just made me feel a bit silly scattering about 5kgs of dust on the common, even if it was his favourite gallpong spot. I wouldn't do it again. I'd have my horse cremated as I don't like the idea of him being eaten but I wouldn't have the ashes back.

When my dog died I was in a bit of a state so when the vet asked if I'd like the ashes back and I said no, she thought I'd said yes. I still have his ashes in a cupboard at home seven years later as I don't know what to do with them

 

[hnmisty]

I've not read all the replies on here but are you allowed to bury your own horse or pony if it's on your own land for example? That's what I think I'd like to do if it was possible.

You either need to contact your local animal health office for permission to treat your horse as a pet, or do it under the cover of darkness.. You'll also need a digger, as it'll be a bloody big hole. We would have buried both of mine when the time came but couldn't get hold of anyone with a digger.