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what happens to old horses when they die?
25 Answers
A bit of a gruesome question but read on, and you might forgive me for asking it.
I recently had to have my old horse who was 35 years old put down, it was a really sad time as we had owned him for 18 years and we miss him really badly. He had suddenly stopped eating and looked unhappy so it was time.
We had always planned to have him buried in the field but when the time came, due to financial constraints and other considerations we had to get the "knacker man" in to shoot him and then take the carcase away.
In the event the knacker man was a lovely bloke , very courteous and professional, Pascoe did not know a thing, all he had was love until the very end.
As we could not afford a digger to bury him my last sight was the lorry going up the road .
Since then the field is empty and I bitterly regret letting the old horse go out of our hands. Its preyed on my mind a bit about what they do with the carcases? Do they incinerate them? would he have been chopped up for pet food (unlikely as he was so old and thin). Id like to think he was cremated but can anyone tell me for sure??
I recently had to have my old horse who was 35 years old put down, it was a really sad time as we had owned him for 18 years and we miss him really badly. He had suddenly stopped eating and looked unhappy so it was time.
We had always planned to have him buried in the field but when the time came, due to financial constraints and other considerations we had to get the "knacker man" in to shoot him and then take the carcase away.
In the event the knacker man was a lovely bloke , very courteous and professional, Pascoe did not know a thing, all he had was love until the very end.
As we could not afford a digger to bury him my last sight was the lorry going up the road .
Since then the field is empty and I bitterly regret letting the old horse go out of our hands. Its preyed on my mind a bit about what they do with the carcases? Do they incinerate them? would he have been chopped up for pet food (unlikely as he was so old and thin). Id like to think he was cremated but can anyone tell me for sure??
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My old boy was 34 and I was away when he had to be put down. The stable owner called in the knacker man (with my consent) and I returned to an empty stable, having had him since he was 5.
Now to the worst part. I work on a pet stall on a market, and we buy our bones and pigs ears etc. from a pet warehouse which also has its own slaughterhouse. When we collect the stuff there are often skips with dead cows, goats, etc, in them, legs stuck up in the air, waiting to be 'processed' a pretty gruesome sight at the best of times. It wasn't till I got back from holiday that I found out the knacker man was the very same person we buy our bones off of, and for several months I could not bring myself to go to his yard to collect stuff, for fear of seeing my lad sticking out of a skip. I'm not normally emotional about things like this, I don't even have my dogs ashes back when they are cremated, but it did shake me up a bit to think I could be getting his bones back, and worst of all, paying for the privilege!
I consoled myself with the thought that he had a very good long life, and the end was without suffering. Some poor animals don't have that luxury.
Now to the worst part. I work on a pet stall on a market, and we buy our bones and pigs ears etc. from a pet warehouse which also has its own slaughterhouse. When we collect the stuff there are often skips with dead cows, goats, etc, in them, legs stuck up in the air, waiting to be 'processed' a pretty gruesome sight at the best of times. It wasn't till I got back from holiday that I found out the knacker man was the very same person we buy our bones off of, and for several months I could not bring myself to go to his yard to collect stuff, for fear of seeing my lad sticking out of a skip. I'm not normally emotional about things like this, I don't even have my dogs ashes back when they are cremated, but it did shake me up a bit to think I could be getting his bones back, and worst of all, paying for the privilege!
I consoled myself with the thought that he had a very good long life, and the end was without suffering. Some poor animals don't have that luxury.
silvercat so sorry to hear of your loss i know how heartbreaking it is to lose them dont worry yourself as to what happened to him once he was gone you gave him a lovely life and did the right thing when needed. as you say yourself he had love right up to end and that is the most important thing you would not have been able to bury him as defra no longer allow large animals to be buried even if they are just pets as you say it was a carcass. not pascoe he is still with you. i too still have an empty stable and sometimes think about renting it out but it would not seem right someone else in his stable ,the day after i lost him we had an overpowing smell of garlic in our kitchen i dont use garlic but he had garlic in his feed every day and always you could smell it on him, my son was with me that morning he is very matter of fact about everything but even he turned to me and said its sam mum and with that the smell vanished it really spooked me out at the time, but after a while it is a comforting memory and i know he is still about . Ruth xx
I think the worst thing is the sense of loss, there is nothing to say he ever existed, even his footprints are disappearing and its only been 19 days since he went.
I thought I would get a sense of him still being around but so far nothing at all.
I think we will plant a tree in his memory, something that turns amber and gold in the autumn like a chestnut horse.
I know Defra technically do not allow burials of large animals but there is this grey area of pet animals, i.e. one family horse, but as a vet once said to me, If I put a horse down, I dont ask what you are going to do with the carcase.
If you were a business such as a riding stable, it would not do at all to be burying all the old ponies in the paddocks.
We were not going to have another horse, but you know that paddock is so empty, and a couple of sheep just would not be the same. Trouble is , you cannot buy a horse like Pascoe was, you just drop lucky once in a lifetime. I only had him on loan originally and I think the owners only sold him because they knew I would love him and they did not really use him much at all .
Thanks for all your replies so far.
I thought I would get a sense of him still being around but so far nothing at all.
I think we will plant a tree in his memory, something that turns amber and gold in the autumn like a chestnut horse.
I know Defra technically do not allow burials of large animals but there is this grey area of pet animals, i.e. one family horse, but as a vet once said to me, If I put a horse down, I dont ask what you are going to do with the carcase.
If you were a business such as a riding stable, it would not do at all to be burying all the old ponies in the paddocks.
We were not going to have another horse, but you know that paddock is so empty, and a couple of sheep just would not be the same. Trouble is , you cannot buy a horse like Pascoe was, you just drop lucky once in a lifetime. I only had him on loan originally and I think the owners only sold him because they knew I would love him and they did not really use him much at all .
Thanks for all your replies so far.
Although I have lots of photos of my Strongbow, I have his Grakle (figure of 8) noseband which hangs in my bedroom.
I smile every time I catch sight of it, it was so him.
Today I passed a field with three heavyweight cobs in it, just like he was, with white faces and feathering on their legs. I stopped the car and had a word with them over the fence, thinking about my lad and also your old boy. Drove home with very watery eyes!
I smile every time I catch sight of it, it was so him.
Today I passed a field with three heavyweight cobs in it, just like he was, with white faces and feathering on their legs. I stopped the car and had a word with them over the fence, thinking about my lad and also your old boy. Drove home with very watery eyes!
When I was in my twenties, I had a beautiful three-quarter thoroughbred chestnut mare - she was an absolute angel! Problem was, the guy who had a share in her & kept her on his farm in Wiltshire, wouldn't let me take her as he said she'd miss the other horses. I went to see her one day and she'd gone. He'd put her out on Dartmoor as a brood mare and I never saw her again. She's long gone now, but I still think about her and I still miss her. I've never had another horse since, as I know I'll never get one like her (although I came close once, but Mr K wouldn't let me).
My friend has already buried their horses in their land, but her mom says when her old boy goes, he is in his 30's now, and it has only been this year that we have stopped hacking him out, she may send his carcass to the hounds as he absolutely loved hunting. Not that I could do it whether he liked hunting or not, but not my horse.
Sorry, cant tell you for sure what happened to your boy, but be sure that he is free from pain and you have fond memories of your time together.
Sorry, cant tell you for sure what happened to your boy, but be sure that he is free from pain and you have fond memories of your time together.
I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, Silvercat. I think it'd be too painful for me to explain how animal bodies are disposed of, and hope that you'll soon be able to look back with fond memories, and not dwell on what's happened to him.
Horses can be buried on your land, but it has to be well away from where others might be, in case of disease. Ones used on hunts often go to the hounds, which might seem a fitting end. Whatever, I understand how sad this is for you right now, as we have 4 of our own. I'm sure that Pascoe had a wonderful and loving home. All the best hun - x
Horses can be buried on your land, but it has to be well away from where others might be, in case of disease. Ones used on hunts often go to the hounds, which might seem a fitting end. Whatever, I understand how sad this is for you right now, as we have 4 of our own. I'm sure that Pascoe had a wonderful and loving home. All the best hun - x
its Ok winebuyer, I did expect the odd reply that would be humerous, if only to the person posting it. Yours was not too bad. I expected much worse.
Don't think Pascoe would have been much use to a restaurant, too old and tough and not enough meat on him to make a good stock....but horsey heaven sounds good.
Your apology is accepted.
Don't think Pascoe would have been much use to a restaurant, too old and tough and not enough meat on him to make a good stock....but horsey heaven sounds good.
Your apology is accepted.
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