Friend needs to put her horse down in Belchertown Mass. Ground is very frozen. Any one have any #s to call costs etc.
Thank you my friend is heart broken here
ML
Are there any cremation places nearby? We have one that will pick up, cremate and return the ashes.
Your vet should be able to help you with this. Condolences to your friend.
Any backhoe can dig through the frozen ground…usually only 24" to get below to 30" frost line!! Sorry for them.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;7949544]
Any backhoe can dig through the frozen ground…usually only 24" to get below to 30" frost line!! Sorry for them.[/QUOTE]
This. I asked my father this question earlier this fall (we have a 37 y/o gelding on the farm), and he felt that short of being in the Tundra, your typical backhoe- not a tractor or skid steer with a digging bucket- will be able to break through frozen ground without too much trouble. Since he is an engineer and my uncle works in construction (he’s our backhoe guy) I trust his opinion.
^This. A backhoe will do the trick nicely.
[QUOTE=ML;7949469]
Friend needs to put her horse down in Belchertown Mass. Ground is very frozen. Any one have any #s to call costs etc.
Thank you my friend is heart broken here
ML[/QUOTE]
Very sorry for your friend’s loss. Any backhoe or excavator will be able to dig below the frost line, which is two feet. We had to put ours down on the 24th and the ground was still frozen… it was done no problem with a tractor backhoe.
Thank you for your answers most are close to mine. Asked her to call vet and blacksmith for spots to put her horse in the ground. Have done this and it is not easy thing to do. You love them and letting them go plus the last day never seem easy.
ML
So sorry for your friend.
I’m two towns over, and any backhoe will be able to break through. I don’t think the ground is fully frozen here yet, either, which will make it less difficult.
Unfortunately I don’t have any numbers for her, as I had my neighbor do it.
If burying ends up being impossible, my trainer has either taken her horses to be put down at the local vet school, which has the facilities to cremate them, or has our vet put them down on her trailer and then takes them to be cremated. Very sorry for your friend.
Rendering is another option.
[QUOTE=arapaloosa_lady;7950476]
Rendering is another option.[/QUOTE]
i don’t think you can render a horse that is injected with barbiturates/ketamine - i could be wrong?
The swimming pool installers will have backhoe to dig holes for you, and the driver will usually be EXCELLENT with tight spots to put the horse into. They are who we used for the last two horses.
So sorry for your friend. We put our old girl down in Sept. to avoid a situation like this happening to her. Time helps make it easier, they are not suffering the cold or a bad pain anymore.
I’m so sorry for your loss. 
And I third the suggestions for places to cremate the horse if you are unable to find a backhoe or a spot to bury your horse. In my area, there is a wonderful service that will pick up for cremation 24/7. The only downside is that cremation tends to be costly.
Call Bud Walsh - I don’t have his number on me but if you call Mass Equine or New England Equine Medical and Surgical Center in NH they’ll get his number for you. He has a place in MA and picks up horses all the time from all over and will bury them for you at his place. Super compassionate guy who I’ve never heard a bad word about.
I had my old TB gelding cremated by Final Gift (they run a facility in RI and NH) - not cheap but they were unbelievably kind and made that day a little more bearable. It was well worth the cost.
Sorry your friend has to go through this. 
[QUOTE=beowulf;7950491]
i don’t think you can render a horse that is injected with barbiturates/ketamine - i could be wrong?[/QUOTE]
Valley Protein in our area will take anything. I would imagine this is true of most rendering plants.
The ground gets very frozen where I live, and my excavator recommended digging where round bales have been stacked because the hay insulates the ground. You will still need a backhoe, but maybe for fewer hours. Sorry for your friend.
Composting is another possibility, and is done aboveground. A friend of mine owns Compassionate Composting in Auburn, Maine; she may know of anyone doing it in your area.
http://www.compassionatecomposting.com
Rendering guys take euthanized horses, definitely. One of our local vets sets up the appointment to coincide with the euthanasia–the renderer shows up a few minutes after the horse is put down. Very nice guys, always gives you time to say goodbye and tells you not to watch them winch the horse into the truck. I’ve done it a few too many times recently. :no:
