Assisting Your Horse Over The Rainbow Bridge

In last week’s blog, I wrote about how much I love the senior horse and how much they have to give.

In a perfect world, every horse would live out its life with their owner, enjoying an endless supply of lush grass and hay, carrots and peppermints and lots of love. And many do. But sadly, horses get old. Some will develop metabolic disorders such as Cushings, which prohibit them from eating lush grass and peppermints and will require expensive medications. Others will lose their teeth and need a special diet. Managing the older horse requires effort to keep them as healthy as possible, but at some point, that decision that we all dread to make will have to be made.

And it isn’t just the older horse. Sadly, there are many younger horses which develop health issues, which prevent them from leading productive lives. It costs just as much to feed a lame horse as it does to feed a healthy horse (if not more) and not everyone has the money, experience or facilities to keep a young but unsound horse for what could be decades.

Offering your older or unsound horse free to a good home is taking the cowards way out. There just aren’t many people lining up to take on a horse which is not sound. Far too many times do we hear of people who gave up their horse to someone who promised to give it a good home, only to find out to their horror that the horse was taken to auction and ended up in the slaughter pipeline.

Fallon Blackwood is just one example of how people can fall victim to someone very convincing. If you are not familiar with her name, a google search will give all the horrible details of how this vet student duped dozens of horse owners into giving her their horse, which she promptly sold for slaughter. And sadly, there are many more like her.

Unlike euthanizing a dog or cat, which we can simply transport to the vet clinic and set on the exam table, putting down a horse requires much more work, from coordinating with the vet to having a plan for the body. What will your policy be regarding disposal of the body? I boarded at a barn which had a lovely cemetery for horses and boarders were even allowed to bury other pets which they had lost. Other farms have strict policies against burying horses, whether it be due to lack of land, county or environment policies forbidding such practices or for their own personal reason.

At one point or another, this will be an issue that needs to be addressed. Disposing of a body should be in a way that is acceptable for the owner. Horse owners should have a plan in place for when the time comes that their horse crosses the rainbow bridge.

Disposal options:

· Burial, whether on site or in an equine or animal cemetery. Must be done to insure water supply is not contaminated. Most horse owners will take peace of mind knowing that they can visit their horse’s grave. The cons are that heavy equipment is required to bury the body and the body must be buried deep enough so that animals will not dig up the carcass. If burying on your own property, the cost can range from nothing, if you own the necessary equipment, to a few hundreds of dollars to pay someone to bury the horse.

· Cremation. More pet cemeteries are popping up, which offer both cremation and whole body burial. Not all crematoriums can accommodate a horse, so research needs to be done to find the right facility. (Or some pet crematoriums will cut the body up into smaller pieces.) Whether or not you get the body back, there is a premium price to cremate a horse, from an average cost of $1500 and up.

· Euthanizing at a vet hospital. Usually, they will dispose of the body. This can be a simple solution, especially if the horse is already at the clinic.

· Hauling body to a landfill. Low cost, but necessary equipment will be needed to load body onto a flatbed truck. It is a very undignified ending.

· Hauling body to a state lab. Necropsies will be performed and they will dispose of body, usually via cremation. Some state labs do offer private cremations. Prices vary from state to state, running from just a few hundred dollars to around $1500. The state lab will perform a necropsy for a minimal charge, so if your horse has passed away due to colic or some unknown cause, this solution will give you answers as to the cause of death.

· Composting: the most cost effective and environmentally sound method, it is a controlled and sanitary decomposition of organic materials by bacteria. It requires the land necessary but can take 6-12 months to decompose. Some may find this a fascinating procedure while others will be horrified at knowing their horse is laying under a big pile and will end up eventually in the garden. It is probably the cheapest method to disposing of the body, but care must be taken so animals don’t dig up the body. There are several steps involved in this process as well. Composting is legal in every state except California.

· Rendering: Check regulations regarding drugs in system (euthanasia solution, dewormers, etc.) Equipment will be needed to load the body onto a flatbed trailer. Rendering plants are not as common anymore. Cost averages a few hundred dollars.

· Zoos and wild animal parks: animals usually have to have died naturally with no euthanasia solution or other drugs in their system. They must be loaded onto a flatbed trailer and brought to the facility.

· Donate to vet hospital. Especially a horse with a disease which can be studied. The vet hospital will euthanize and dispose of the body. In addition, some vet hospitals or universities will offer euthanasia clinics to offer a low cost option, while disposing of the body.

· Biodigesters: Found at some vet colleges, it is becoming more common. It is similar to a pressure cooker and uses alkaline hydrolysis to rapidly kill any potential harmful wastes in the carcass. The body is turned into an aqueous solution of peptides, amino acids, sugars, soaps and powdered bone, which are free of harmful pathogens and can be disposed of in the landfill or used as fertilizer. The cost is minimal, averaging 30 cents per pound,

As a horse owner, it is imperative to have a plan in place for when your horse becomes terminally sick and needs to be euthanized. Barn owners may even have wording in their boarding contract, requiring horse owners have a plan in effect for when the time comes. Euthanizing your horse instead of passing them on to someone else will guarantee that you will never have to worry about whether or not they end up in a bad situation. You will never have to worry if they are suffering. By ending the suffering of an animal, you are giving them the greatest gift you can give them.

The Humane Society of the United States has a list of options available for disposing of your horses remains, as well as each state’s laws regarding disposing of bodies.

 Resources for making a humane end of life decision for your horse | The Humane Society of the United States

Euthanizing our beloved horses is never easy, but it is better to do so a day early than a day late. Give your horse the greatest gift we can possibly give, which is to free them from any suffering. They don’t deserve anything less.