What to do when our horses pass?

This is in an indelicate issue to be sure, and given the major health decline of my mare, something I can't deny I have thought about. What do you do once your horse has passed on?

Of course we grieve and are devestated by the loss of a beloved family member, but what do you do for them? Someone suggested calling a renderer to me, but I cannot imagine doing that. An old neighbor actually used a tractor and buried her old gelding on her property. I am not sure what I will do when their time comes.

What have you or will you do when that time comes?

-Blu-

Casey live forever, find the fountain of youth or something- and save some for me!

Sorry, I am no help. I think it is illegal to bury a horse on your property, to big or something.

We lost two of our horses last winter and one was at the end of december amd we had to wait till the ground thawed and we had a person come bary him. With mom moms horse that coliced and we just took off all their halters and left their blankets on.

Here you have them hauled away and cremated. It runs about 300.00 ish

When we had to have Junior put down, the vet gave daughter the number to a "disposal" service. The lady that runs it came out at 9 in the evening to remove his body so the grandkids wouldn't see it. (Daughter and son in law didn't want the kids to know he was PTS - the kids think the lady just took Junior to a better place.) That lady was so sweet and understanding. I was amazed that a woman would have such a gruesome business, but she runs it by herself!

She generally charges $175 to haul off and dispose of livestock. Daughter got a price break because OSU's school of Veterinary Medicine wanted Junior's body for forensic study, so they paid a large chunk of what daughter would have had to pay.

Maybe this is too morbid for some folks, but...
If I knew my horse's quality of life was no longer good, and I opted to euthanize... I'd prepare his burial site first, and have the vet come out and euthanize him next to it. That way it's much less of a production to get him to his final resting place.
Is that weird?
Of course, that only works if you know it's coming.
If it were a surprise... crap, I dunno.

I bury at home. I even allow burial for others who have no other place. A good backhoe can dig in winter.

Humane Horse Remains Disposal : The Humane Society of the United States

Well with our TB that was about25 to 30 maybe older we don't know but he was thin and we did everything to get weight on him and we got about 300 to 400 on him but he wasnt what he should have been and he lost some and so we tryed and tryed it was a huge surprise when I found him. But we had the hole dug close to him.

Do what feels right for you and your horse, listen to your gut......it'll speak to you.

Mine are buried out back.
I lost one old boy a few weeks ago and he was always so anxious and scared when he couldn't see the barn so he got buried next to it. Just felt like a better spot for him.

I have an awesome neighbor with an excavating/trucking business and he comes and buries large livestock for his friends/neighbors for nothing. One time he couldn't come down because of other obligations and just threw my husband the keys to his backhoe. Good man.