sudden death of heart horse, what to do with ashes?

[bear_necessities]

A heart aneurysm took my Bear a few weeks ago. My perfectly healthy boy, a young 19 in fantastic shape, jumping around 2’6 the day before. We grew up together, our relationship spanned 14 years. He was part of my heart and soul. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand.

My close friends took care of everything for me and at the time I agreed with getting his ashes back. Eventually, my fiance and I want to buy our own farm. His ashes will be buried there and we want to plant an apple (Gala were his favorite) tree in his memory. Now that we are getting them tomorrow, I’m wondering what to do with them right now?

Buy a small wooden trunk to house them? Would a large bit box work if the dowels are removed? It’s literally the most painful thing to have to brainstorm what to do with him.

[Foxyrab]

When I had a horse cremated, the box in which the ashes were returned to me measured approximately 12"x12"x18". Perhaps that will give you an idea of the size of container you will need. I hope for your sake that the people handling the cremation will provide you with a suitable box.

I’m so very sorry you’re having to deal with this. Losing the special ones is always hard, and even harder when it’s so unexpected. Hang on to all those good memories that made your horse so special.

[bathsheba8542]

I recently had to put down one of mine and had him cremated. His cremains were returned in a shipping box (think UPS), and they are contained in a sealed bag inside. I am thinking about the best and most suitable tribute for him but in the meantime they will be perfectly fine and safe within the shipping box they came in. If you aren’t ready to do anything, you can choose to leave Bear’s ashes in the box you receive them in.

[Kiwi19]

We had a horse cremated. We did not get all the ashes back, just a few pounds. The place that cremated him mailed the ashes to our house. They came in a nice wooden box with a plaque with his name on it.

Are you getting all the ashes?

[Lord_Helpus]

There are a lot of ashes which come from the cremation of a horse. A LOT. As mentioned above, you might want to have a portion of them returned; enough to spread on the land at your new farm.

I still have George’s ashes in the shipping box because I am not sure just what to do with them. But I have planted 3 apple trees in memory of the three horses I have lost over the years and I can give you advice on that:

It take 2 apple trees to cross pollinate so you end up with apples. And the 2 cannot be the same kind. However, they must bloom at the same time of year for the cross pollination to occur. You can find a list on the Internet of which types are suitable for crossing with Gala apples.

2nd point: Deer LOVE apple leave and blossoms. Damn things ate every leaf off all 3 of my new trees. grrrrrrr. So no cross pollination this year. There are sprays you can buy which say they will deter the deer, but you have to keep spraying the trees after every rain.

I may never get apples from my trees at this rate. I may forever be looking at bare branches if the deer keep using them as their preferred dining choice. But at least I will be thinking of my dear horses when I do.

I am so sorry your lost your boy. At least he did not suffer.

[HealingHeart]

Once you have your boy home & in the container that they provide, you will know. Perhaps it’s seats on stand for awhile on your patio or goes into a special cornter for awhile, a closet…, you will know what works for you & your other. My boy came back in a nice wood box that was monogram With his name & I found a stand to sit the box on until I was ready to do something more

[OTTBs]

I lost my heart horse 2 years ago suddenly at the age of 22. {Hugs} I still haven’t done anything with his ashes or the hair I saved. I did look in the bag of ashes (which they put inside a clear plastic box) and I think it’s amazing what the cremains look like. Lots of pieces of this, hunks of that…I wish I knew what it all was. Since I looked at them, my thought has been that maybe I’ll separate the ashes and spread them, and keep the pieces. I have my horse property now that I could spread them here.

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8385487]
It take 2 apple trees to cross pollinate so you end up with apples. And the 2 cannot be the same kind. However, they must bloom at the same time of year for the cross pollination to occur. You can find a list on the Internet of which types are suitable for crossing with Gala apples.
[/QUOTE]Last year I saw a couple types of apple trees at Menards that grow 2 kinds of apples on the same tree. Did not see them this year, but I want one that grows Red and Golden delicious. I have an apple tree on my land and it grew 3 apples this year–wonder if a bee cross pollinated it a bit? It was moved last year, I was blaming that for the lack of apples.

[The_Anonymous_Foxhun]

Condolences on your loss.

My beloved first dog is still in the metal tin with a dog illustration on it that her cremains came back in - sort of like a Christmas cookie tin. It’s not so stately as one might like, but for now, it stays on the lower shelf of my nightstand, and that is fine.

When a pony in my lesson program had to be put down at the vet school, the adolescent girl who’d owned her in childhood gave me her ashes (returned in a wooden box), and asked me to scatter them “in a place where the pony had been happy.”

I kept those ashes in the box and more than two years later, when all the schoolhorses and I moved from New England to the Undisclosed Location here in Virginia, they moved too.

A couple years later, the late pony’s best little pony friend died. When the second pony was buried in my back field, I scattered the first pony’s ashes over her old friend’s resting place, and so, honored the young girl’s wishes.

#weeping

Don’t overthink it. It will be fine to have them in a secure place. No need for a fancy vault. Good luck.

[ndirish07]

I just lost my horse to complications for colic surgery. I had him cremated. I do t have his ashes back yet but I plan on putting the majority of his ashes in my trailer and scattering them whenever I see a place that I think he’d enjoy. I already know of several places. I also have some of his mane and his tail. I found a lady on etsy who makes urns but takes the hair and burns it in to the ceramic that she mounts on the urn. The I’ll get a plate with his name for it. I also plan on having a small horse figure made with his hair burned in it. It’s not obvious what it is but will be a beautiful reminder of my horse of a lifetime.

[Laurierace]

I had my heart horse cremated last month but I purposely did not ask for his ashes back in part due to the extra cost but also because I wouldn’t know what to do with them. When my sheltie died years ago I kept his ashes next to the bed for a year to the day then scattered them on my flower bed. I am sure you will come up with the perfect solution. Godspeed.

[crthunder]

My horse’s ashes were returned to me in a lovely leather and wood “small” trunk. Raalph passed away on March 25 (yucky weather) so I waited until July 4th to spread his ashes in honor of one of our favorite activities, parades. I spread them in my mom’s garden because I always thought it would have been neat to have him in our backyard. She has an amazing garden and I know my boy has contributed. I am going to eventually make the trunk a keepsake box of his things but for now I keep his things around my house still 3.5 years later…

[Beckham03]

I lost my heart horse suddenly too when he was 23. Big hugs. I know how you feel:( I had him for 20 years.

His ashes were returned to me in a huge nice box with a plaque. Probably 100 lbs or so? He is sitting on a high dresser in my bedroom. I just felt better having him around. I have his tail and have some lovely bracelets and another friend made me an awesome dream catcher from one of his shoes.

Take your time in deciding what you want to do. It will come to you!

[bear_necessities]

It would be lovely if his ashes came like this, but I don’t think they will…I asked my mom the other night what was decided that day- it’s a bit of a blur to me. She said I asked for “some” of his ashes. A small box would be nice.

[bear_necessities]

[QUOTE=Kiwi19;8385434]
We had a horse cremated. We did not get all the ashes back, just a few pounds. The place that cremated him mailed the ashes to our house. They came in a nice wooden box with a plaque with his name on it.

Are you getting all the ashes?[/QUOTE]

It would be lovely if his ashes came like that, but I don’t think they will…I asked my mom the other night what was decided that day- it’s a bit of a blur to me. She said I asked for “some” of his ashes. A small box would be nice.

[bear_necessities]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8385487]
There are a lot of ashes which come from the cremation of a horse. A LOT. As mentioned above, you might want to have a portion of them returned; enough to spread on the land at your new farm.

I still have George’s ashes in the shipping box because I am not sure just what to do with them. But I have planted 3 apple trees in memory of the three horses I have lost over the years and I can give you advice on that:

It take 2 apple trees to cross pollinate so you end up with apples. And the 2 cannot be the same kind. However, they must bloom at the same time of year for the cross pollination to occur. You can find a list on the Internet of which types are suitable for crossing with Gala apples.

2nd point: Deer LOVE apple leave and blossoms. Damn things ate every leaf off all 3 of my new trees. grrrrrrr. So no cross pollination this year. There are sprays you can buy which say they will deter the deer, but you have to keep spraying the trees after every rain.

I may never get apples from my trees at this rate. I may forever be looking at bare branches if the deer keep using them as their preferred dining choice. But at least I will be thinking of my dear horses when I do.

I am so sorry your lost your boy. At least he did not suffer.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your apple tree advice, I had no idea. That’s pretty fascinating! It sounds like maybe we need a little fenced in garden to protect the trees, I wouldn’t mind that.

If my good boy had to go now, this was the way. No pain, no fear. He had a great ride the day before, had his breakfast and was grazing in his field.

[bear_necessities]

[QUOTE=crthunder;8385876]
My horse’s ashes were returned to me in a lovely leather and wood “small” trunk. Raalph passed away on March 25 (yucky weather) so I waited until July 4th to spread his ashes in honor of one of our favorite activities, parades. I spread them in my mom’s garden because I always thought it would have been neat to have him in our backyard. She has an amazing garden and I know my boy has contributed. I am going to eventually make the trunk a keepsake box of his things but for now I keep his things around my house still 3.5 years later…[/QUOTE]

That’s very nice, my mom also has a large garden, she may like to have part of him there. I think I will always have something of Bear’s in my house. He will always be important to me even if he’s physically not here anymore.

[bear_necessities]

[QUOTE=ndirish07;8385781]
I just lost my horse to complications for colic surgery. I had him cremated. I do t have his ashes back yet but I plan on putting the majority of his ashes in my trailer and scattering them whenever I see a place that I think he’d enjoy. I already know of several places. I also have some of his mane and his tail. I found a lady on etsy who makes urns but takes the hair and burns it in to the ceramic that she mounts on the urn. The I’ll get a plate with his name for it. I also plan on having a small horse figure made with his hair burned in it. It’s not obvious what it is but will be a beautiful reminder of my horse of a lifetime.[/QUOTE]

I am so very sorry you lost your boy. I know it just freaking sucks. There’s no other way to say it.

[Ambitious_Kate]

I would bury the ashes somewhere I could visit which meant something to the horse and me, probably.

[511]

I would plant a memorial tree and put the ashes at the base of the hole when I planted.

Probably a fruit tree of some sort to remind of all that the horse had given while he was alive. However Dogwoods are lovely also.

[bdj]

My guy’s cremains are in a very nice wooden box with an engraved plate and a spot for a photo on my dresser. The box isn’t terribly big (maybe around 16" X 16" X 16"), but it is pretty heavy - maybe 35-40 pounds? I don’t have any plans to spread them, even though I own my place, but I figure when the time is right, I’ll know what to do.

A friend has a small portion of her heart horse’s ashes in a little metal pendant that she always wears.