Yep, the ethics can be complicated but I’m serious about putting some thought and research into it for my state.
A little unkind here. Let us presume your monthly board is 800. Let us presume euthanasia and disposal is double that. And you need to find 1600 in cash Now. BUT dead horse, no more board. I’m sorry, but if you can’t float the equivalent of those two months of board either via credit or savings…is it fiscally responsible that you own a horse?
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No, but a whole lotta people have horses that shouldn’t, from a dollars perspective. It’s not like you’ve got to prove financial solvency when you buy.
And that doesn’t even touch the people who DO have the dollars, but don’t see why they should spend them, when they can run their old, lame horse through the local sale and get a hundred bucks. Some just don’t care what happens to their horse, or have starry eyed ideas about “rescue.” 
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Yep, this is where dead stock went when I was in Colorado. There were several outfits that were available to haul. It wasn’t very expensive, although I’m sure the price has gone up.
I don’t think this exists in Connecticut, however. Our local dump incinerates, from what I understand, and doesn’t have the capability to handle dead stock. There are zero professional dead stock removal services. You bury on your own land, or you pay the pricy pet cremation, or you talk to the local lady who buries some on her property. That’s it. That’s all ya got.
As livestock farming is lost, so is dead stock removal. It’s crazy. There are SO many horses here.
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There is a dead stock company in CT. Now, where did I put that info…I will PM you if I find it. Gruesome I know. I can bury mine on my own property. But I remember scribbling their info down last year when it looked like I might need it.
Yes, please, I’d love to know. My vet is unaware of any service, and when I looked around, I wasn’t able to find anything. We do have the space to bury, but without our own backhoe, I really prefer to have some backup, ykwim?
In other areas of the country, this isn’t even a QUESTION. Like, of course there are people who remove your dead horse with kindness and empathy. It outright blew my mind moving here and not finding that same service readily available.
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Are there publicly available datasets regarding births, deaths, age of death, age of “retirement” either from loss of serviceable soundness or just age, causes and numbers on disabling injuries, etc? I can imagine getting some of this from a state horse council, maybe some from a national vet or breed or performance org. It would be interesting to look at trends in the data and profile what owning a horse for its whole life might look like in terms of expected lifespan vs “working” life.
It was CT Horse Cremation I was thinking of. That really isn’t the cheapest I suspect because you are right that there is no competition and they aren’t dead stock removal, but cremation. In some towns the people who dispose of the road kill deer can do it for cheaper, but knowing who that is can be a challenge… I agree that it is a an issue, but it is an issue that a responsible horse owner should budget for…slinks off to stare at this month’s bills…
Fair warning, I haven’t used that company. For all I know they are no good. I made friends with a neighbor who has a big backhoe as my solution.
I agree, but the title of this thread “accepting being priced out of the hobby.” There are a lot of people who could once comfortably afford their horses who are now getting squeezed out.
If a person can no longer afford to keep their retired horse and chooses to euthanize, that extra $1600 at once is just one more financial hurdle, even if they will save money in the long run.
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I’ve also considered taking in a couple of retired horses, but I don’t think I could cover my costs (including a whole $20/hr for my labor) for less than $1200/month. And that doesn’t include the extra insurance I would need. And definitely doesn’t include my property costs, but I would have them anyway so I wouldn’t feel the need to charge for that.
Are people willing to pay these prices for retirement? It’s near Boston, but still.
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Yep, totally agree. It’s my understanding they’re about two bucks a pound. A far cry from the couple hundred bucks it takes to remove a dead horse in other parts of the country
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I was about to comment pretty much the same thing regarding the landfill.
Our local clinic will perform the euthanasia on the trailer. They even have offer pick up service. If you haul to the clinic, the horse is unloaded from your trailer and reloaded onto their trailer. I’m unsure if their trailer is especially equipped or not. I do know, it’s a good option for a horse that travels well. It’s not exactly cheap though.
One can haul dead stock directly to the dump here. Like you note, what the dump charges is pretty affordable.
I’ve read nothing but good things about the CT cremation company, but they are quite expensive. They do business in Massachusetts, too.
Feronia has a place to be buried, when the time comes, but getting her there may be tricky.
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After we moved onto our little farmette, my vet came by. He told me there was a pony buried behind our barn (previous owner’s). I don’t think that was legal. There are strict rules here about burying livestock. Keep that in mind wherever you may live.
Putting a horse down and disposing a body may only be two months of board, but it is two months of board and NO horse.
I question if people that board are the ones sending their horse to slaughter though. Here it would be big breeders (sending culls/unsold), businesses (pack horses, trail horses, race horses, pony horses), and people who keep horses at home and either need to move or otherwise need the horses gone quickly. Around here, the horses sent to auction/slaughter may be lame, but the average age is quite young.
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Yeah, definitely. It’s more that amateurs who board and end up finding they can’t afford their horses may sell them to what seems like a good situation (lesson program, care leases, etc), and the horses get sold on to auction from there. Happened to a friend. She ended up having to bail her horse out from a KP only to put him down shortly afterward. At least she found him before he left the country, but he was in terrible shape.
It’s a big commitment to own a horse these days, I don’t take it as lightly as I used to—not as many good homes or situations out there for a horse you don’t have time, money or land for. I wouldn’t encourage any amateur to own a horse that isn’t prepared for the long haul—would probably be more prudent to lease from a pro with a farm.
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Completely legal in this case. Not in Massachusetts, but New Hampshire, where laws are less strict. Her body would be joining some other horses there, including a couple she knew when I first had her.
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This is a big issue in my area. I gave up trying to find board with an indoor, and it’s not for a lack of arenas. The facilities are around but in the last few years the owners have gotten out of boarding because they are not physically able to keep up with the work. Or they simply can’t be bothered and they are private or sit empty. A few of them allow haul ins or host clinics. One was sitting for sale for an outrageous price and ended up getting rented out for dog agility. The facilities are there but the folks who are willing and able to run them are not able to afford them.
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It’s legal in most places. With restrictions. Most states are primarily concerned about water contamination. Hundred feet from a private well source, two hundred feet from public water, no burial in wetlands, shores, or near water tables, two feet above highest ground water level, etc. It varies from state to state but I live in one of the stricter states and it’s still feasible if you have the property.
Grim as it is, when we put our last horse down it was difficult to find a spot. Not because of the water considerations but because there was so much ledge on the property we couldn’t dig deep enough in most places we tried.
Our next door neighbors compost their livestock. It’s gruesome, but very effective. The only part I don’t love about it is occasionally bits and pieces of them end up in our property from scavengers.
The rules are the same where I live. However, I know more than one person who has not followed the rules, but only because they weren’t aware.
