I don’t know how accurate/current this list is, but it lists cremation/animal disposal, etc. services per state:
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Yes, thank you. You’ll see that there are no disposal services in Connecticut. What’s listed there is Maine and New Jersey. Compare to, say, the number of options for disposal in Colorado.
According to my vet, at a popular, large, busy referral practice, there is no dead stock removal service available.
Yes, it is an unfortunate situation. But, the list does give options from other states, as you mentioned, that can possibly cross state lines; if you are close enough. Obviously, I don’t know where you live, so I could only provide general information.
One of the places on that list is the University of Connecticut.
In the past, CT Horse Cremation offered transport to the university at a lower cost to increase the availability of carcasses to vet students. I have no idea if that program is still in existence/how long it lasted, etc.
Depending on your views, that may an option.
Even if CT Horse Cremation doesn’t offer that service, they may know of something/someone that does.
My point being that my vet clinic–a large referral clinic, with multiple vets in practice–says there are no disposal options beyond burying, cremation or the woman who will bury some on her property. If anyone is informed about what’s available in my area, it’s them.
I am very, very doubtful anyone from Maine is hauling dead stock in CT.
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Can one entity, one business, know “all the things”?
Things change all the time; I’d rather call around for myself & verify.
Anyways…
I have no control over what is included on a website’s list of resources; I agree that Maine is an odd choice to include for CT…but who knows?
Perhaps someone can call that vendor and enlighten us…perhaps even get it removed from the list to eliminate future confusion, if necessary.
For those not in CT, here is the link starting from the top of the page: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/humane-horse-remains-disposal
It includes information on state regulations & disposal. I believe that I first saw it mentioned on COTH years ago; I am simply posting it again for those that could possibly benefit.
It would be up to the end-user to validate and do their own research.
Sorry to the OP for an unnecessary derailment.
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In the past 3 days I’ve spent a thousand dollars on my retiree horse. I need a side gig.
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So how do we help make riding more affordable?
I do my best at my barn by having a modest facility and giving people opportunities to work for riding, but then I see the new, fabulous barns being built, and I feel self conscious about my barn. Is the trend of building bigger part of the problem? I can’t imagine how much it costs to heat some of these facilities.
Online showing could be a way to help people feel like they are part of a community and get their showing “fix” at a more affordable price point, but it is only really good for certain classes/disciplines.
I think pushing “hobby” riders out of the sport would be detrimental overall - for the people, for the horses, and for the supporting industries, but how do we incentivize supporting hobby riders vs show riders (where the money and prestige is)?
I also think that we need to develop better systems to coach adults: most programs focus on kids, and have trouble getting adults started in the sport, or accepting the limitations adult learners may have (for example, teaching someone with bi-focals their posting diagonals…it isn’t easy).
Just thinking out loud here.
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Yes, I think a vet clinic that’s euthanizing animals has a good handle on the disposal options available.
Additionally, whenever this question comes up on local groups, the answer is the same.
I understand you’re trying to help, and I agree it’s shocking there aren’t more options out there. But continuing to refer to an out of date list with no in state services is just proving the point. It can be expensive to euthanize a horse and dispose of the carcass, and resources across the US are not consistently available.
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I don’t understand why “riding schools” have more or less gone away. You would think in today’s economy with today’s challenges owning horses, they would become more popular— riding without the owership expenses. I totally agree adults are an under-served population. I don’t know why it’s become impossible to run a program with a dozen or more all-arounder type school horses for both adults and children.
But for whatever reason, over the past few decades, we push for people to have their own horses if they want to ride. It’s hard to even find trainers with school horses anymore, and when they do have them, it’s usually only 1 or 2, sometimes for only the “up downers.”
As far as hobby riders go, I think one way to help them persist is moving toward self-care boarding and co-op/riding club type setups. Barn owners can’t afford the overhead without charging a gazillion dollars a month, so owners are going to have to band together to help each other out.
Personally, online shows have zero appeal to me. Online lessons, however, I think are a great option.
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Liability, maybe?
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I agree that’s probably the biggest factor. But I think about all the barns where a trainer gives a kid a handful of up-down lessons, then tells the parent, “it’s time to buy a pony!” Trainer finds kid a pony, charges a finders fee, puts it into their training program… how is that any less liability? I guess because you can say, “well it’s your horse!” when something goes wrong. 
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I am old too and while younger kids did have to have a parent present while they did “whatever” with their horse, the remainder of us teen girls who boarded our horses were there on our own after school and all day on weekends doing whatever we pleased with them. Horses were it for us not just another activity to shuttle to and from.
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I think that’s a big part of it. If Suzie Q breaks her arm coming off her own pony, that’s a lot less exposure (probably?) than if she comes off a school horse which can then be painted as “dangerous” and a “rogue.” 
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Riding schools have largely gone away because of the high cost of buying and maintaining school horses. All of the rising costs cited here, vet and farrier and feed and everything else, has to be passed on to the consumer in order to make it even possible.
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And then you tell someone new to the sport that a single 45 minute lesson costs $75 and it’s understandable why there aren’t more young riders even on lesson horses.
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It’s just too expensive. Buying/Leasing and maintaining the land on which to have such a school, in reasonable proximity to a population center that can sustain the business, is incredibly expensive. Then you need safe, trained horses - which are likely older and need more shoeing/veterinary services than average. And the cost of everything horse related is up. You need to pay salaries for your grooms and trainers, and cover insurance. No one wants to pay $250/hour, or whatever the real number would be to cover all the costs plus a profit sufficient to pay a livable wage to the trainer.
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People pay that much for a lot of things, though! $75 once or even twice a week isn’t as much of a barrier as $800 board + $3000 in tack + $250 for the farrier + that same $75 lesson fee.
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This is just N=1, being my area (Boston). Riding schools have tanked here because of the increased land cost[s]. Besides a few choice venues, our legacy riding schools have been razed and turned into development. There is just too much pressure on all sides in congested areas - land is at a premium and goes quick.
My parents have been getting regular calls and mail from developers for their land (has 9 buildable lots on it) for the last 10 years. They disconnected their phone line about five years ago, but they still get mail regularly from developers and while the offers are not out-of-this-world, my parents are on the cusp of retirement and some days I know it’s tempting.
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And I think you have to be in good proximity to an area of high population density (with high land costs) to make any riding school work period.
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I’ve said it on another thread and I’ll repeat it here.
There’s a lot of demand for the lesson pony type. Lots of us AAs are willing to lay down a pile of cash for a steady eddy we can putz around on. I don’t think there’s enough profit in teaching to let an instructor compete with AAs in the market for the same horses
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