ShortTail

Do you bury your horses when they die or you sell their carcass to a slaughter house and use them for meat?

I bury my pets for they have been a part of my life already. I haven't had a horse yet but I will for sure bury them instead of selling them to a butcher.

ilovehorses

Oh my god, I wouldn't even consider sending them to a slaughterhouse. I would bury them, as I do for all my pets. I can't believe some areas still sell horse meat, it makes me ill.

Remark

When I lived in Virginia, we contacted the local Animal Control and used their crematorium to have our beloved horses cremated. That way we could spread their ashes over their favorite pasture. It was a nice way to honor our friends. I'm not sure if all Animal Control Departments will offer this service but it is worth checking out. Also remember to check with your local Health Department as many counties have laws regarding dead livestock.

purpleparrit

I would imagine most slaughterhouses these days are too far from the average household to make selling them worthwhile. Kill buyers only pay $200 tops for horses to slaughter, most pay under $100 per horse. I would also imagine you might not be able to sell a dead horse to slaughter as could would cause complications about health,, etc.

Buckskin

I'd like to clarify that you can't sell a dead horse to a slaughter house. All horses for human consumption must be killed in teh abbatoir, and not die for any other reason.

You might be thinking of selling the carcass to the knackery for pet meat or zoo meat. You can't do this if the cause of death was a lethal injection, because that will poison the animal that eats it.

If you're thinking of burying your horse, make sure the hole is really big. Twice as big as you think it'll need to be. It's really not a pleasant or easy thing to get a dead hores out of a grave when it's too small.

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ShortTail

Thanks for the clarification Buckskin. That's true, you cannot sell a horse in a slaughterhouse.

About the knackery, could you sell your horse there even if the cause of death is a disease?

BornintheSaddle

And not only that, size wise for the hole, it has to be deep too otherwise things will start to smell. I would not advocate doing this yourself.

This is such a sad topic. I am glad to see so many owners who want a nice end for their companion. I personally think that cremation is a wonderful way to go.

Buckskin

You can sell most bodies to a knackery even if the cause of deat was disease, unless there is a local law or something similar in place that forbids transporting a carcass that may still be infectious. The reason is the Knackery can render a body down to fertiliser (eg blood and bone), and doesn't put everything into pet food.

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Allan

It is a question of whether you could live with the thought that your pet horse was fed to another animals or was used as a fertilizer. I myself would like the cremation way for I could bring my beloved horse wherever I might go.

Buckskin

For many people it is also a matter of cost - It costs money to hire equipment to dig a really big hole, and cremation costs money too. On the other hand, the knackery will pay for the carcass.

I know a lot of people do burry their old horse, but many horses end up in the knackery, especially old thoroughbreds from the racing industry.

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alexis

Interesting to read, I always wondered what happened to them, esp. if you lived in the city without the land to properly bury them. Is it hard to find a place that will cremate a horse?

Unicorn

This really an interesting topic. Many have different thoughts and I would like to share my own idea if ever my horse dies. Even if I had good relationship with my horse, it is dead already and it doesn't know anything anymore. I would just sell my beloved horse to the knackery for at least its body will still be of good use and not just decay or burned to ashes. Just giving my two cents here but it is really hard to do than just saying it or writing it here.

sallyanna

I'd be leery on burying a horse myself. If the hole is too shallow, wild animals will dig it up to eat. It will also smell, regardless of depth of hole, I think. Also, the laws are quite strict about disposal of dead animals, to protect against the contamination of groundwater and such. I likely would sell it to a knackery myself.

Zorse

I don't think there is a way for me to bury a horse where I currently live so that option is out of the question. Sentimentally I like thought of cremation but I doubt if it would make any financial sense. The knackers would be my only real option. I would want to kept some kind of memento like a snippet of mane or something.

flatback_frannie

We have always had our horses cremated. Contact your local large animal hospital for information... that's where we've gotten the info for crematoriums.

I cannot stand the idea of horses being eaten. It turns my stomach just to think of it.