It’s not something that we would like to think about and I know that before I started working on this website I wouldn’t have known what to do or where to turn. So far I’ve been lucky, I have kept horses for almost 20 years now and I know that one day I will have to deal with losing one of my beloved horses. By reading the Memorials Section you will also see that it not only happens to old ponies, youngsters can be struck down by fatal disease or illness just the same.

So what are the options?

Well the first option is to call the Knackery who will re-process the remains, not necessarily a very dignified or loving way to end a chapter in your horses’ life and certainly not an option that everyone would care to consider.

Second option is for those lucky enough to own their own fields for their horse to graze on, a burial at home. Again this option is not suitable for everyone, as we don’t all have our own land. It is also possible that a pending EU directive will make it illegal to bury any animal that has been put to sleep by lethal injection. Reasons for this are the possibility of the drugs used seeping into under ground streams, once breakdown occurs, and contaminating water supplies.

A third option is to use the services of a Crematorium. There are now specially designed crematoriums that can deal with large animals and make a point of dealing with each service as if they were dealing with a member of your family.

Elysian Fields is one such place (see their ad in Services Section). Even if you don’t have the facilities to move your horse Elysian Fields can take care of that for you too. So for many of us this would not only be the preferred, but easiest option to consider. There are different options available but one is to have the ashes returned to you for you to scatter in your horse’s favourite spot. Consider also that if you do bury your horse, you can’t take him with you when you move!

Costs can be quite high, but credit card payment or credit over 3 to 4 months can be arranged, so it needn’t be seen as a financial burden. Elysian Fields are also currently investigating with insurance companies to include cremation as part of your policy. If this is of interest to you please send an email to Elysian@HorseConnections.co.uk. Your responses will help to convince insurance companies that this would be a beneficial service to include on policies. All emails gratefully received, please send in your views on the subject.