Would you get your horse stuffed?

[MarvelVillis]

Sorry if there is already a thread on this (I couldn't see one!) but I was watching Luisa Zissman's instragram stories last night and she unveiled her beautiful horse that she had stuffed when it was sadly PTS from melanomas. I have to admit I was quite choked up watching the video as it must be so upsetting to see your horse that you lost looking so life like again. They had done a lovely job but I dread to think how much it would have cost! I thought it would be an interesting conversation topic - would you get your horse stuffed (if you could afford it!)?

 

[Birker2020]

Sorry if there is already a thread on this (I couldn't see one!) but I was watching Luisa Zissman's instragram stories last night and she unveiled her beautiful horse that she had stuffed when it was sadly PTS from melanomas. I have to admit I was quite choked up watching the video as it must be so upsetting to see your horse that you lost looking so life like again. They had done a lovely job but I dread to think how much it would have cost! I thought it would be an interesting conversation topic - would you get your horse stuffed (if you could afford it!)?

No, once they are gone they are gone and I think a constant reminder would be harder to cope with than anything. This was part of the reason I didn't want Dad's ashes back, seeing them all the time and remembering what a brilliant person he was who turned into a shell of himself before his death.

I watched the UK Lion King documentary the other day and thought it was a bit weird that the chap who loved his deceased lion was handling its skin prior to it being stuffed by a taxidermist.... it made my skin crawl a bit, but each to their own.

Apparently in America 6,000 dollars to taxidermy a whole horse (£4,300) and 3,000 dollars (£2,100) for a head.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I saw this on her instagram, I'm not sure if I would personally, I think it would upset me to see them all the time but obviously they are not 'them' IFSWIM

 

[Meredith]

If I could afford to do it I wouldn’t for reasons stated above.

If it was paid by someone else also no.
Where on earth would it fit in my house?
Does a stuffed creature have to be kept in special temperatures and humidity?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

IF and I say if I could afford it; I'm not sure TBH......... OK so you'd have the "shell" of the horse/pony that you had - but you'd also have to be aware that over time, the coat would begin to deteriorate surely i.e. moths & stuff, and it would be very upsetting to have that happen??

I think that it's far better to say once they're gone they're gone and we've all got pictures & videos etc.

But I can see how some people might want this - and would be prepared to pay hugely for it! Not in this country perhaps, but maybe other places in the world (US for instance)???

 

[Lurfy]

Each to their own, but I would never do this even if it was free.

 

[holeymoley]

I think once they’re gone they’re gone unfortunately. A big part of them is their character and once they’ve been laid to rest it is merely just a body.

 

[milliepops]

i think about this now and again (not seriously to get them done but just in a theoretical way!) we watched that Escape to the Chateau thing on C4 the other day and they had a fake taxidermy unicorn on the wall and it made me think about it again, hehe

I think I'd find it too upsetting tbh. In some ways I'd love to have Kira around forever (and at 14.2 it wouldn't be the MOST outrageous size) but I think it would be pretty tough to see her all the time.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I think I could cope with a skeleton of a horse I owned being mounted. Not sure about a full taxidermy job though.

I'll have to search for the video mentioned above.

I think it is a very personal thing but I have no moral issue with someone having a pet stuffed if it makes them happy.

 

[Widgeon]

I think that it's far better to say once they're gone they're gone and we've all got pictures & videos etc.

Absolutely this....it's just a body, it's not the horsey friend you loved and had adventures with. It would just be a constant creepy reminder of what I'd lost. I'd much rather bury him or have a body cremated and bury the ashes.

ETA - I mean sure, if it makes you happy, knock yourself out....but I find it a bit wierd. At the risk of sounding very soppy, a horse is so much more than just its handsome exterior.

 

[Floofball]

Not for me personally, I find it weird for any animals to be stuffed apart from for educational/museum/cataloging type of reasons - but each to their own ?

 

[Pippity]

Dear god, no. I can't imagine anything more horrific.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Slightly weird and creepy but I know of 2 kids rocking horses that are made out of dead shetland foals ...

 

[milliepops]

Slightly weird and creepy but I know of 2 kids rocking horses that are made out of dead shetland foals ...

tbh the only reason I would want it done is to make a rocking horse, haha

 

[TPO]

Each to their own, shea got the money and the space.

Personally I find it sick and really icky so would never consider it for any pet ?

 

[LeneHorse]

Absolutely not. I wouldn't have their ashes in an urn either.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

No, just no!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

tbh the only reason I would want it done is to make a rocking horse, haha

Well I suppose that way there would never be that "One Final Ride"! Just hop on whenever you feel like it, no spooking, no dancing or prancing, just a lovely, gentle ride to nowhere

 

[rabatsa]

I would not object to having mine stuffed. I do not have anywhere to put one though so it would have to be loaned out to a museum or some such place = not worth it.

 

[Nicnac]

NO!

However in a bar/restaurant called Le Roy d'Espagne on the Grand Place in Brussels there is a stuffed horse. It has been there forever (it was there in 1971 and was still there in February 2020). One of its ears has snapped off and its coat is quite bare from all the people, me included, stroking it.

 

[Cortez]

Ha ha ha ha! No!

 

[huskydamage]

I wouldn't have a animal stuffed anymore than a deceased human! Can't think of anything more disturbing than a reminder of my beautiful alive horse reduced to an inanimate dead object. I know people who have done this though each to their own everyone grieves differently

 

[Dyllymoo]

Nope. Its hard enough trying to find somewhere for the 3 massive boxes of ashes I have of mine let alone having all 3 around the house.

 

[Cragrat]

On the rare occaisions my horse is still, I still love their smell. I never kiss my horses, but I love to sniff them ( please tell me that's not wierd ) and a stuffed horse not only wouldn't have the movement and character, but they wouldn't smell right either.

I agree that a skeleton would be more acceptable though. I'd love to be brave enough to keep a lower limb for dissection/preservation, but always chickened out so far....

 

[dogatemysalad]

No. Once the life has gone, all that is left is a shell.
If someone wanted to fund a life-size bronze statue of any of my past horses showing them at their most magnificent, then, yes please.

 

[Equine_Dream]

Oh sweet jesus no.....

Each to their own, but that is not how I would like to remember my beautiful horses.

 

[TPO]

No. Once the life has gone, all that is left is a shell.
If someone wanted to fund a life-size bronze statue of any of my past horses showing them at their most magnificent, then, yes please.

That's a good point. If I had the kind of money that Luizza does I'd definitely get lifesize bronze statues (for my country estate!) by Gill Parker.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I wouldn't, no. However, I have been somewhere where they had made their horse's skin/coat into a sort of rug/throw which was over the back of the sofa. At first I thought it seemed a really odd thing to do, but actually the horse had a beautiful coat so why waste it? I don't think I could have that done to one of ours but equally I do appreciate things being used when possible. The job had been well done and the horse won't miss it so fair play really.

 

[Trouper]

Slightly weird and creepy but I know of 2 kids rocking horses that are made out of dead shetland foals ...

Good Grief.

 

[palo1]

My son, when a bit younger asked if he could have his pony turned into a rug - a la traditional tiger skins etc (!!) when she died...I couldn't quite face a taxidermed loved one but I could sort of see the point of a well cured skin (pony was a very beautiful piebald). Not sure how I would feel about it in reality though...