A recent survey by The National Fallen Stock Company in Great Britain, the organization that co-ordinates the disposal of farm animals and horses by fallen stock collectors, shows that horse owners would welcome more advice on the options open to them when it comes to dealing with the death of a horse or pony and the disposal of its body.
Dealing with the death of a horse
A recent survey shows that horse owners would welcome more advice on the options open to them when it comes to dealing with the death of a horse or pony and the disposal of its body.
The survey, completed by more than 800 horse owners, was carried out in early 2013 in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, and asked horse owners about their experiences of putting their horse to sleep, or its death and the subsequent disposal of the body. It also asked what plans owners have in place if they need to deal with the death of a horse in the future.
Almost all respondents, 99%, said their horse was not or would not be intended for human consumption, and 84% have already considered how they will deal with the death and subsequent disposal of their horse or pony.
However only 75% of owners said they had completed the section in their horse’s passport which specifically excludes the animal from entering the food chain. Animals whose passports do not have this section completed must have all veterinary drugs they receive recorded, and may not receive some treatments such as phenbutazole, which are not permitted to enter the food chain.
80% of respondents prefer to take advice on euthanasia and disposal from their vet, with 20% saying they would use the internet to find out more about their options.
Lethal injection was the most common method of euthanasia, preferred by almost 70% of respondents.
The choices made by owners who had previously had to dispose of their horse’s body were :
38% had the body collected,
31% had it cremated,
15% chose burial and
15% used the local hunt.
However, owners who had not previously experienced the death of a horse or pony were more inclined towards using a cremation service (43%) than a collection service (26%) if the need arose.
Respondents who had already witnessed the experience of having a horse or pony put to sleep were largely full of praise for the professionals who carried out the service, whether it was the vet, local hunt or fallen stock collector. 93% said they would use the same method again if the need arose. A calm, competent and sympathetic approach was praised for helping both the horse and the owner.
The goals of the National Fallen Stock Company
To provide a National service for the collection and disposal of fallen stock that help farmers to comply with the Animal By-Product regulations;
To provide a fallen stock service that farmers use out of choice;
To create competition between collectors to keep prices low;
To promote high levels of bio-security;
To find ways of reducing the cost of fallen stock disposal, without compromising the efficiency and service levels of collectors.
Learn more about Euthanasia