Folding A Dead Horse

[goodhors]

This is supposed to be a helpful post, not just peculiar.

We lost a horse a week ago to kidney failure. We thought it was colic, took him to the vet clinic. Stayed a while, then left him for observation because we hoped time would help and he would be there for Vet to check easily. We are 30 miles away. Vet called us back that things were bad, he was in pain despite heavy meds. Not a surgery candidate. So we made the decision. She put him down and husband headed off to collect the body. Vet had no service to remove him.

Husband is very familiar with dead horses in his Farrier work. Real friendly with other horse vets and how they deal with dead horses. Sometimes the services can't come immediately, bodies must be stored until pickup.

What husband has learned from the Vet Clinic workers was that if you fold the horse up neatly in the storage barn, tie the legs in place, then horse is very easy to manage later on for storing, loading out for disposal or burial. Sometimes they have to deal with a number of animals who were put down for various reasons that week. So this folding method was created and has been very helpful in dealing with the dead animals. The owners who sometimes come later to say goodbye are not faced with an ugly last view of old Spot, which is comforting to them. Most look like they are asleep all curled up. Some owners like us, want to take the animals home and a folded horse makes it much easier to do.

Husband said you do need the bucket on tractor to position the animal, then bend hind legs, tie up so hooves are close to belly. The Clinic workers usually tie around the hocks. Fold the front legs, tie around the pasterns and elbows to hold in position. Bend the head and neck around over the folded legs, towards the belly area. Not sure if they tie head to hind legs to hold in place. Horse then looks rather like he is circled around to sleep.

When rigor mortis sets in, horse will stay folded, legs bent and tied in place, head out of the way. This method makes it very easy to scoop up the animal for loading, no parts sticking out to catch or get damaged in moving. Animals take up much less room to store, dig a hole for burying or haul away.

I remember seeing a rendering truck go by as a kid, with cow legs sticking straight up from the inside!! Kind of a ghastly sight for a small kid, would have been worse with horse hooves. Now most trucks are covered, but the dead animals still are very stiff and hard to fit inside the truck neatly. Locally, the rendering truck only makes a run weekly, good or bad weather so animals picked up would be pretty stiff.

Husband picked our old boy up on the flatbed of truck. Vet's husband had said he could not load into our ramp trailer, tractor was too small for the size of this horse. Husband folded the horse up, tied the legs in place, put a tarp over him and strapped everything down to come home. The Vet's husband said this was the easiest way he had ever loaded out an animal, and the folding kept everything inside the truck bed edges. Flatbed was very easy to place the animal on, get him folded onto. He planned to suggest folding for the next animal they had to load out and practice his tying the legs in place.

We dug the hole the next day, and buried him. Husband said having folded him first, everything went VERY easily, unloading, putting him in the hole with the bucket on machine. Didn't have to dig such a big hole either, because there were no flopping parts, stiff legs to deal with.

All this folding idea was new to me, but really made a lot of sense as we dealt with the body afterwards. Easier to be a bit dignified about everything.

So this is something to think about, consider if you have to make such a decision in the future. Fold them up while you can, tie things in place, to make it all easier to deal with later.

Our Vet called that next day, said tests showed horse had shut down his kidneys, was not a colic. That was why things were not presenting like a typical colic case, none of our efforts were useful. Nothing anyone could have done, we made the right choice instead of dragging it out longer. Ugly news, but good to hear because we were kicking ourselves for not noticing his problems sooner to start treatments. Kidneys are a sudden thing, no fixing it. When he started sweating, making puddles on the floor, he was a walking dead horse. Even ours and her best pain meds only helped a bit. Best to let him go and learn from it.

Hope the folding information is helpful, gives you more options for the last things you can do for him/her, while helping yourself as well.

[cloudyandcallie]

Great that you took him home and buried him. I bury mine, and thanks for telling me that if one dies at the vet clinic, I can fold and then easier to transport.

[CJBean]

I am so sorry for your loss. This was a great tid bit of information, thank you for sharing it, as I am sure this info will come handy in the future for many of us.

[Luckydonkey]

Great information to have in the back of the mind for when it might be needed.... Thank you- I am sorry for your loss...

[pintopiaffe]

That is very useful, important information. Thank you for being courageous and posting it. It's the kind of thing that you hope you never need to use, but it is in the back of your mind, once read, for the worst-case-scenario.

Condolences on your loss. Thank you for sharing this.

[sid]

It's telling to see how few have opened and read this thread yet. But for the 5 who did view, 4 posted.

When a horse dies there are a myriad of things to take into consideration, and some of them are really hard to deal with. Such noble and big creatures in life -- and so it is in death. It's a BIG event and often such an undignified situation because of their sheer size. Not like a dog or kitty, for sure.

This was very good information and thank you for posting it. I now have about 10 of my best buds buried on my farm. I have a lovely man with a backhoe who does the deed quite gracefully out of my sight. Those that have died in hospitals, I've had cremated at a very large cost.

Your information gives me an alternative - getting them back home to be buried in a way that can be handled.

[horsekpr]

Thanks for posting that. As difficult as it is to think about,I am sure that information will come in handy some day. I am sorry for your loss. Always something new to learn about horses.

[horsekpr]

Er...one question... what do you use to tie them with? Would baleing twine be strong enough?

[Cashela]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

When we had to put Cashel down on Thanksgiving night a few years ago my dad and I tried to fold her legs under her because I had horrible visions of them breaking her legs to get her out of the stall the next day. When I went out the next morning her legs had stretched out from the position that we had put them in. So I think mentioning tying them is a good thing. Fortunately we had a great guy come out to remove her body and he didn't have any issues.

[Appassionato]

Really thoughtful thread here. Will definately have in mind from here on out.

Godspeed to your boy.

[Ritazza]

Thanks for posting this. When my first horse died, it was in a stall off the property where we wanted to bury him, so we had someone transport the body and he was all stretched out with his head propped up against the wall, so he "froze" that way, lip hanging and all. They had some trouble getting him out of the stall, and when the truck came to dump him off, his body rolled out and fell the several feet to the ground with a rather sickening rigor mortis-y crunch - a horrible sight for teenaged me to see after I had thought the most tramatic day in my life was over. We left him under a tarp and buried him the next day.... and it was again traumatic to watch his legs rocking back and forth in the hole while we covered him with dirt.

So sorry about your loss, but thanks for posting about this so I know when my next one goes, it can be in a dignified way.

[Sabovee]

Great info that isn't common knowledge but very very useful.
So sorry about your loss.


I had to laugh about the cow legs comment in the OP. I was heading off the local ferry with a load of school kids where I use to live and in the line up to load was the "knackers" truck. A set of incredibly visable cow legs were sticking up from the back. One of the kids looked back at a fellow classmate and said "Hey Joe. You're Mom died."

I almost peed.

[LMH]

Thank you very much for letting your loss be our education.

[Applesauce]

Very, very useful thread. Thank you for the courage of posting that and I'm so sorry for your loss.

As horse lovers we eventually are all faced with this unfortunate but necessary situation on what and how to dispose of a beloved friend's body.

I would actually think that baling twine would be strong enough to handle the folding. One cut string may not be long enough though so you might have to wind up using a few pieces tied together.

[Equine Obsession]

I'm so sorry you've lost your horse, you definitely made the best and hardest decision for him, so congratulations to you for that.

Thank you for this information. I hope I won't have to use it, but in working with livestock and pets, I will be glad to know it at all. :(

Thanks to you all for your morbidly amusing additions.

[Ghazzu]

FWIW, rigor mortis is transient and will pass if you can wait.

[FindersKeepers]

Thanks for posting this.

Luckily I have not had to see very many pass, or after passing, but this information is great to have. Seeing the bodies afterwords was always more difficult for me, than the actual passing. It just seemed so undignified for these great creatures to be moved around, stiff as boards. I would much rather see one seem to be peacefully asleep.


Ghazzu, can you share with us how long that process is? From when it sets in, until it subsides?

[caballus]

Ghazzu .. how long before the rigor mortis releases?

[geri]

Goodhors,
Thanks so much for sharing. I live with the nightmare of knowing what has to come.
My deepest sympathy to you and my greatfulness for your courage.

[Ghazzu]

Varies with condition of animal, cause of death, environmental factors,etc., but begins within a few hours, complete within 12, begins to fade after 24 or so, but can persist for 48.

due to attachement of myosin to actin and lack of ATP to break the crosslink.

[tweeter]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Many thanks for sharing this info, I never would have thought to do this....and hopefully won't have to for a long long time.

[2ndyrgal]

Having worked at a couple of clinics, this is simply the most practical thing I've ever heard. I had the bad luck to be visiting my colicking horse in his stall the day "the dead horse guy" showed up with an open trailer to pick up a dead foal. Let's just say that neither it nor the other's already in were folded. I was glad it was me that witnessed that little scene instead of the teenaged owner and mom of the next horse over. I did mention to staff that they might want to check to see if anyone is about before bubba came next time. this will definately help.

[Brockstables]

Just wanted to add my two cents... We have in the past TORN stalls apart to get the horse out of the stall because no way was it fitting through the door without removing parts of the horse. I would rather remove parts of the stall. JMHO. So this info would have come in handy while the horse was still moveable. Definately worthwhile information, and thank you for posting it!
I would like to add the following to those facing the loss of a beloved horse: SAVE A BIT OF TAIL HAIR BEFORE THE ANIMAL IS DISPOSED OF! If you would like a memento later, you will be glad you clipped a bit while you had the chance. Wash it with shampoo, and braid loosely.
As some of you know, my 12yo daughter and I make horsehair bracelets for some horseowners that have lost a beloved horse. We are happy that we can offer this service, and it is really sad when people wish they had saved a bit of "Old Dobbin's" tail hair.

[jennywho]

Sorry for your loss, but a great big thank you for sharing. This would have never ever crossed my mind, but it makes so much sense and I really like the thought of the horse being buried in the folded position.

Several years ago I was driving down I-5 and a rendering truck had tipped over. Thankfully there were only cows (no disrespect to cattle lovers, but I don't think they were anybody's pets) on board and after the initial shock my sick sense of humor kicked in. There were stiff cattle all over the road. I'm sure many drivers were horrified, but it was a sight to behold.

[Loves to ride]

Thank you for sharing this information about the reality that happens at some point to anyone who has animals on their property.

Hopefuilly not for a very long time here!

[ChocoMare]

Thank you for allowing your loss to educate us. :cry:

I shall print out your post for my vet to save/use/learn from too.

[pcwertb]

Thanks for the information. What do you guys do when the ground is frozen? Compost them in the manure? I can't imagine my sister digging a hole in Wisconsin in February and both of her guys are old.

[riverbell93]

My sympathies for your loss. I don't even have a horse and I appreciate the OP. It's such a thoughtful topic because it addresses something that does matter tremendously to most people, but is not often discussed. It's a very human characteristic to feel pain over the appearance of a dead body; animals don't appear to care and I think a lot of owners tend to downplay the importance because well, if it doesn't hurt the animals, what's the big deal? But it is a big deal to most people, so if the OP's idea helps create a peaceful and maintanable position for a dead horse prior to burial, that's great.

[texang73]

Very interesting and informative post. Always good info to know, just in case. Thanks.

[2DogsFarm]

Sorry for your loss and thanks for posting this info.

I think I could do this - with help - if one of my horses were to die in a stall. I know it's just a shell that is left, but it would be less upsetting to me to not see this shell traumatized further.

As much as I would love to be able to bury on my property I'm afraid it's too small - 5ac - and neighbors too close for possible contamination of the water table (we're on wells here).

Is there some Rule of Thumb for when NOT to bury on your land?

pcwertb: in your sister's place I think I'd have the old one put down before the ground froze if at all possible.

[Watermark Farm]

First, I am so sorry about your horse. It's so hard to lose an old friend.

I lost my beloved 29 year old gelding last Sunday to colic. Never having folded a horse's legs at death, I wanted to try it to make burial easier. We folded his front legs, but could not get his back legs to stay folded (did not think to tie them). I agree with you, they do look much nicer with the legs folded, HOWEVER.....we learned an interesting lesson. When we move a dead horse, we put it in the huge bucket of the backhoe by putting the loader edge up under the horse's back and tying ropes to the legs and back to the loader hooks to tip the horse into the bucket. Usually the legs are stuck out stiff, and help with this process. We had a harder time this time because there was poor leverage with the front legs tucked tight against the body. An interesting dilemma! How do you get your folded horse into a loader?

We have been told to add a 50 lb sack of lime (we used oyster shell flour) to the grave to speed decomposition. We did that and the spectacular white cloud that emerged from the grave was strangely wonderful.

Full rigor peaks from 12-24 hours after death, so you can wait a bit if ever you need the horse to "soften" up in order to move it (if it died in the stall, etc.)

Again, sorry for your loss. As others have said, handling the "shell" of the horse with love and dignity is immensely important.

[Mallard]

I too, offer my THANKS for this post.
My girlfriend's very aged TB mare, who lives here with us, will be put down next week.

The hole is already dug.
There is no way that mare is going to walk down into the hole with the vet.
So, besides worrying about 'if' the hole is big enough, hubby was also worried about how to keep her in the loader with her long legs sticking out.

Hubby will be glad to get the details on how to properly tie her up!

We have had the dead stock guys come and remove horses in the past, when it has been impossible to dig a hole. It is not a pretty sight to see Dobin being man-handled into their truck.
I have also had the mispleasure of dealing with a dead horse in a stall...

[philosoraptor]

I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your experience here.

As someone who has sadly has had to call the truck and have had a dear horse die in a stall, I feel this procedure is unnecessary. The livestock service truck comes with a winch on it. They're accustomed to dealing with limp or stiff carcasses all the time.

The stall issue may be a problem either way. It's just something you have to consider when planning a barn. I like barns with exterior doors so you can at least get a tractor to it.

It's not true the body stays stiff indefinitely. Rigor mortis sets in shortly after death, but if it's a situation where the animal isn't moved for a day or so, the rigor mortis will have faded.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to be argumentative. It's just that this might be emotionally upsetting to have owners thinking they have to go back and try to bind the legs of their dear deceased horse's feet together.

[spaghetti legs]

I agree mays..

[Hear_my_echo]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

[fooler]

Very sorry for your loss.

Thank you for sharing your experience in such a clear fashion. If we own a horse long enough we all have to face this.

[greysandbays]

Thanks for the information. What do you guys do when the ground is frozen? Compost them in the manure? I can't imagine my sister digging a hole in Wisconsin in February and both of her guys are old.

My backhoe guy has no trouble digging holes in frozen ground. I've had him do one in March and one in December. The southern half of Wisconsin has milder winters than we do, and northern Wisconsin would be about the same.

(Just noticed you said "can't imagine my sister digging..." -- if that meant her is digging a hole buy hand, that aint' gonna happen in winter for sure. Probably ain't gonna happen in summer either, unless she has very soft, sandy ground or a overhanging bank that can be undercut and collapsed on the body.)

[pinkme]

I am sorry for your loss. Your post educated me and seems to have been helpfull to others. Just think of all the knowlage we gained from your horse. Thank you.

[Mukluk]

So sorry for your loss. Thanks for all of the information. My baby is four, I hope it is a long long time before I ever need to use it.

[amdfarm]

Sorry for your loss, but thanks for sharing the information.

I, too, have lost one in a stall, took the stall apart to get the body out. Also lost a couple during winter months and my backhoe guy doesn't have any trouble digging holes either. He does a great job.

The rendering truck in this area requires that the body be out in the open, preferably next to the drive by the road. For horses, I think that's just wrong, but it's how they want it done for whatever reason. I remember years ago when I was boarding and working at the barn, the BO called to tell me not to panic as there was a horse's body laying at the end of their long drive for the rendering truck and to tell me who it was so I didn't freak thinking it was mine. Same color, size and gender. It was my horse's pasture mate. On other ocassions she called to tell me not to mind the pigs at the end of the drive. One very hot summer day, there were four ginormous sows piled up there. Kinda freaked me out, as their pigs were at another farm at a big confinement, so they were brought there and dumped.

Mallard... Sorry about your g/f's mare. Condolences all around for the old gal.

[Slewdledo]

Thank you for psting! My mare died at the vet clinic and my farm coworkers went to get her, load her up, and bring her home to bury her for me. The vet had already pulled her out of the clinic with his truck when our guys got there but I don't know how they did it. Don't want to know but I hope it was a gently as you describe.

When a horse at the farm dies, we bury it but usually have to drag it a good distance so this is good to know.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

[FootPerfect]

I am sorry for your loss.

But thanks for posting that. Very well done.

[goeslikestink]

This is supposed to be a helpful post, not just peculiar.

We lost a horse a week ago to kidney failure. We thought it was colic, took him to the vet clinic. Stayed a while, then left him for observation because we hoped time would help and he would be there for Vet to check easily. We are 30 miles away. Vet called us back that things were bad, he was in pain despite heavy meds. Not a surgery candidate. So we made the decision. She put him down and husband headed off to collect the body. Vet had no service to remove him.

Husband is very familiar with dead horses in his Farrier work. Real friendly with other horse vets and how they deal with dead horses. Sometimes the services can't come immediately, bodies must be stored until pickup.

What husband has learned from the Vet Clinic workers was that if you fold the horse up neatly in the storage barn, tie the legs in place, then horse is very easy to manage later on for storing, loading out for disposal or burial. Sometimes they have to deal with a number of animals who were put down for various reasons that week. So this folding method was created and has been very helpful in dealing with the dead animals. The owners who sometimes come later to say goodbye are not faced with an ugly last view of old Spot, which is comforting to them. Most look like they are asleep all curled up. Some owners like us, want to take the animals home and a folded horse makes it much easier to do.

Husband said you do need the bucket on tractor to position the animal, then bend hind legs, tie up so hooves are close to belly. The Clinic workers usually tie around the hocks. Fold the front legs, tie around the pasterns and elbows to hold in position. Bend the head and neck around over the folded legs, towards the belly area. Not sure if they tie head to hind legs to hold in place. Horse then looks rather like he is circled around to sleep.

When rigor mortis sets in, horse will stay folded, legs bent and tied in place, head out of the way. This method makes it very easy to scoop up the animal for loading, no parts sticking out to catch or get damaged in moving. Animals take up much less room to store, dig a hole for burying or haul away.

I remember seeing a rendering truck go by as a kid, with cow legs sticking straight up from the inside!! Kind of a ghastly sight for a small kid, would have been worse with horse hooves. Now most trucks are covered, but the dead animals still are very stiff and hard to fit inside the truck neatly. Locally, the rendering truck only makes a run weekly, good or bad weather so animals picked up would be pretty stiff.

Husband picked our old boy up on the flatbed of truck. Vet's husband had said he could not load into our ramp trailer, tractor was too small for the size of this horse. Husband folded the horse up, tied the legs in place, put a tarp over him and strapped everything down to come home. The Vet's husband said this was the easiest way he had ever loaded out an animal, and the folding kept everything inside the truck bed edges. Flatbed was very easy to place the animal on, get him folded onto. He planned to suggest folding for the next animal they had to load out and practice his tying the legs in place.

We dug the hole the next day, and buried him. Husband said having folded him first, everything went VERY easily, unloading, putting him in the hole with the bucket on machine. Didn't have to dig such a big hole either, because there were no flopping parts, stiff legs to deal with.

All this folding idea was new to me, but really made a lot of sense as we dealt with the body afterwards. Easier to be a bit dignified about everything.

So this is something to think about, consider if you have to make such a decision in the future. Fold them up while you can, tie things in place, to make it all easier to deal with later.

Our Vet called that next day, said tests showed horse had shut down his kidneys, was not a colic. That was why things were not presenting like a typical colic case, none of our efforts were useful. Nothing anyone could have done, we made the right choice instead of dragging it out longer. Ugly news, but good to hear because we were kicking ourselves for not noticing his problems sooner to start treatments. Kidneys are a sudden thing, no fixing it. When he started sweating, making puddles on the floor, he was a walking dead horse. Even ours and her best pain meds only helped a bit. Best to let him go and learn from it.

Hope the folding information is helpful, gives you more options for the last things you can do for him/her, while helping yourself as well.


its an old way - i have seen done in my past before restriction were in uk about buring horses on people property, horses are big and if you leave the head and legs out makes for a much larger hole to be dug by keeping them tucked up like a little swan its neat and tidy

sorry to hear about your horse, but a swan he is now and thus is the start of the pegasus
in the sky myth wing of flight are grown from the earth once a horse is folded like a swan

[dbadaro]

wow. such a great piece of info. sorry for your loss, but thank you for sharing.

hugs

[pegasus209]

Very thoughtful info.. thanks for posting it for us.. I'm so sorry you lost him.. Rest in peace to your sweet guy.

[maybedog]

Saw this thread a while back never dreaming I would have to do a search for it. This evening I had to put down my best friend of 26 years. (If interested see 'End of an Era' thread under Sport Horse Forum) I knew he could not be buried until morning and it broke my heart knowing if left flat out limbs would most likely need to be broken for burial. I quickly print the first post while waiting for vet. We looped one rope over his back before putting him down that way we never had to move him to tie hind legs once he was gone. Vet was impressed and even helped with the "folding" Just wanted to thank you for the info.

[jen-s]

Great info here. So sorry to hear about the losses suffered.

Goeslikestink--What a beautiful image. Thank you for that.

[Ghazzu]

Saw this thread a while back never dreaming I would have to do a search for it. This evening I had to put down my best friend of 26 years. (If interested see 'End of an Era' thread under Sport Horse Forum) I knew he could not be buried until morning and it broke my heart knowing if left flat out limbs would most likely need to be broken for burial..

Just so you folks know, rigor mortis *is* transient.

[MistyBlue]

Maybedog, so sorry for your loss. :(
Like Ghazzu stated, rigor sets in and then goes away again. If there are enough hours between passing away and burial the limbs will be able to move again.
But it's still a good idea to fold, as a just in case.

[Zu Zu]

Thank you for posting this information - we have always buried our own horses and ponies and never had any trouble - but this method sounds very valuable in case one was unable to bury a horse within hours.

[goodhors]

Surprised to see this again after so long. Glad you all found the information helpful or saved it for future use.

Funny how we were just talking about Lewis today, always was Mr. Dependable for so many things. He still is missed a lot around here.

[Laurierace]

I know that rigor mortis goes away in time but to me it would be much less traumatic to see the horse all nice and curled up like it was sleeping rather than all sprawled out everywhere. The horse is gone, he doesn't care what we do with his body so if it makes an awful situation a little less heartbreaking for the people involved I am all for it.

[mkevent]

Goodhors-thanks so much for posting. Since I board retirees and my mare is now 21, I know that this is an issue that I will need to be prepared for. It's good to know there is a dignified way to deal with this. Thanks again and Godspeed Lewis.

[Fairview Horse Center]

Different opinion here. The backhoe guy we use lowers the body into the hole with chains around the legs. Not sure how that would work with folded legs. I don't want them pushed into the hole, but placed carefully.

[smay]

I'm very sorry for your loss. This good information about folding has been shared here before, and I remembered it vividly, for some reason. I was faced with a horse that needed to be put down in the stall this summer, and mentioned that we should fold him to my vet as we prepared the drugs. She had NEVER heard of the concept and was amazed at what a great idea it was, especially when a horse could not be moved from the stall for euthanization. Horror stories exist about horses that die in stalls and are not able to be removed without damaging the body or dismantling the stall.

Anyway, our horse recovered enough to be able to get out of his stall and into the backyard, so we did not have to use the technique, but my vet was all ears as I described it to her, and it may come in handy in the future. Thanks for sharing.

[Fairview Horse Center]

We have been able to move 1300# horses out of stalls. If you can run chains thru an opposite stall window to a tractor to help pull, and get 4 or 5 people to work the body around the door frame, sometimes flipping them at the door to get the front legs out, it will work.

I really think the burial process, as long as you are able to keep the body intact helps begin the healing process. It is hard work, and such a huge relief when the horse is finally in the ground. It feels good to know the horse is resting the way you want them, and it is over.

[cutemudhorse]

I am sorry for your loss, but thank you for posting that information.

[danceronice]

Fairview--that works if you have four or five people to do it an an aisle you can get the tractor down! I'm just saying.

As Ghazzu says, rigor passes, though again that depends on conditions. One thing I was going to add--unless it's REALLY cold and/or you are very used to handling decomposing bodies, I wouldn't keep it around for a week. Bad things can happen to corpses in that time and while some of us are less grossed out than others (I've eaten off tables where I've handled human skeletons (not bleached/boiled prepped kind) twenty minutes prior) it can be traumatic. Not to mention if you do be SURE it's a very protected area, because scavengers large and small can find a carcass from miles away. Also, the byproducts of decomposition can be nasty even when there weren't toxic chemicals used to destroy the animal. We're talking things like botulism.

Just saying, folding is a good method, but please be careful whenever disposing of a dead animal.

[Laurierace]

Fairview--that works if you have four or five people to do it an an aisle you can get the tractor down! I'm just saying.


Just saying, folding is a good method, but please be careful whenever disposing of a dead animal.

Folding is not a disposal method. It is a way to keep the whole thing more compact. I would think it would go without saying that you still need to do something with the body after its folded, either bury or render or whatever but maybe not.

[Watermark Farm]

I'm so sorry about your horse!

I have rescue horses and also board retirees, so I've had my share of euthanasias. I never folded the legs until just recently, when my daughter's horse died. I folded and tied the legs so he'd looked curled up for her.

However....

I learned an interesting lesson! The horse had to be euth'd far from the burial spot, so I had to move him in the backhoe's loader bucket. Normally, we place the bucket just under the back, tie the legs to the bucket top, and gently rotate the bucket so as to slip the horse in. This time, with the legs folded up, it was much more difficult to do this, and we had to kind of manhandle the body due to the loss of the "handles" the outstretched, stiff legs usually provide.

I liked the way the folded up horse fit in the hold for burial. All in all, it's a much nicer sight. Taking good care of the body feels respectful and reverential, and seems to be important for all involved, even the backhoe guy, who shyly shed some tears.

Thanks for a thoughtful post! Again, my condolences on the loss of your horse.

[JLMet]

3 years later, I remembered this post and applied it today. A bit differently but still tucked everything up and in. We had to make the painful decision to put our Rally boy down after having done everything possible to try to help him. We won't be able to bury him until tomorrow later in the day after we get more dirt in to raise the area (and make it legal) knowing he's not just laying there and will be easier to handle rather than dragging with legs sticking straight out makes it a little more comforting too. So thank you for posting information that I think everyone could use.

[Luckydonkey]

We used this recently as well. I remembered the thread when it was originally posted, and when I had to help a friend euth their very old mare, we folded her to make the body easier to deal with.

[Dave Millwater, RMF]

I've had to bury too many in recent years... Mostly due to getting long in the tooth myself and outliving old friends. Fortunately, our graveyard isn't far away, and we can get them interred shortly after they pass, so there's no need for pre-burial folding...

But on seeing this thread, I couldn't help but notice...

Husband is very familiar with dead horses in his Farrier work.

Methinks I would be VERY cross with my wife for phrasing it quite that way! :eek:

.

[irkenequine]

This is an incredibly helpful post and I'm glad its being shared. I have been through an absolute worst-cast-scenerio nightmare about a horse who needed to be moved n-o-w and had not been tied when it died in the stall. I pass this piece of information onto any horse person with an animal long in the tooth or in grave condition....it will save the animal 'dignity' later to anthropomorphise it, and help the last final moments go by so much easier for you.