# Can you bury your horse on your own land?



## filly190 (29 November 2006)

I think of the future when I have to say goodbye to my old mare and I cant bare the thought of her going to the meat man.

I would like to bury her on our own land.  I know for farmers they are not allowed to do this.  As horses are domestic pets and it would be within my garden I wondered if this was allowed.

Does anyone have any knowledge on this subject.  Please dont think me a sad case, but I just cant bare the thought of doing anything else.


----------



## flyingfeet (29 November 2006)

Unfortunately you will need permission to bury your horse.

You will also need a JCB and if you live anywhere near water you are unlikely to get permission due to black water run off. 

I would seriously question whether you really want to do this, we had a bad enough time with badgers digging up our labrador.


----------



## fairhill (29 November 2006)

My old YO buried her horse in one of her fields - you need a very big, and deep hole. 
However it was before the foot and mouth outbreak, so I think there is a lot more legislation required now.


----------



## Rambo (29 November 2006)

I think it's down to DEFRA to approve isn't it ? How about cremation as an alternative ?


----------



## Honeybee (29 November 2006)

Who would know


----------



## Dogbetty141 (29 November 2006)

healthier option is to have cremated TBH


----------



## Baggybreeches (29 November 2006)

We buried my very old pony in the woods at our yard. I took a JCB obviously to dig the hole, but not sure if it is allowed. I just couldnt bear the thought of her going to the meat man. RIP Joby Pony


----------



## JACQSZOO (29 November 2006)

I *think* its down to each individual council.  And you must get persmission as horses are classed as livestock not domestic pets.


----------



## Baggybreeches (29 November 2006)

OOoops just aswell I never said where it was then!


----------



## kirstyfk (29 November 2006)

we buried Glen in our field in 2001. I remember that if your horse is PTS by injection then its not alowed but is more likely to be allowed if your horse is shot.


----------



## 0 (29 November 2006)

You are supposed to get permission.
Depending where you live you may be able to do it without them knowing and what they don't know can't hurt them.
The area would have to be accessable to a JCB - it's a pretty big hole and again depending where you live, may make discretion hard!!

If you do ask for permission and don't get it, then you could have them cremated and then bury the ashes - not such a big hole!!!!!

However, If the horse is pts at home, and you bury them then their body can stay at home until burried (preferably the hole would be ready) whereas if you are burrying the ashes then the body still has to go off to be cremated and that's the bit I don't like........getting the body into the lorry and taking them away.

I think they should die and then stay at home.


----------



## Law (29 November 2006)

Mine was burried at home alongside three others who had been put to sleep in the last 15 years.  It was done before the law changed to say that you needed permission.  We've not had any trouble with them being dug up by badgers or anything.  
Horse was PTS and I left the yard whilst the digger came in (i'm going to cry here) digger made the hole and some friends stayed with his body whilst he was moved into the hole.  They all said that the diggerman had been very respectful and careful. I went back to the yard later that evening and laid a slate ontop of the hole with his name on it.  Every anniversary I go back and clean the slate up and re etch his name on it.  This year was the first year that i've not done it as I left the livery yard in january.


----------



## 0 (29 November 2006)

I would only bury my horse at home as in your house / on your own land.
Never at a yard.

If the horses didn't live at my house then I would probably have them cremated and then ashes burried at my house or sprinkled in horses favourite place

For horses living at home I wouldd have them burried at home


----------



## squemma40 (29 November 2006)

Someone I know buried their horse on their own land a couple of months ago, had asked if they needed permission, they were told no as long as you do not bury within a certain distance of a watercourse was the only thing they said - I think this was DEFRA.


----------



## Law (29 November 2006)

Not sure if that was directed at me or just that you clicked reply to the last post which was mine but... Livery yard was a slight exageration- it's a private yard of two liveries and we'd been there 6 years and are like family to the owner.  It's not the same as being on an actual livery yard!


----------



## Llwyncwn (29 November 2006)

In Wales the legislation has not yet been passed, therefore we burried our old boy at home in August.  The vets turn a blind eye.  Who would know anyway ?


----------



## miller (29 November 2006)

Friend had one buried at my old yard - vet was happy to state it was a domestic pet and not for any commercial value - DEFRA were fine with it and it was at least 400 ft from watercourse


----------



## 0 (29 November 2006)

[ QUOTE ]
Not sure if that was directed at me or just that you clicked reply to the last post which was mine but... Livery yard was a slight exageration- it's a private yard of two liveries and we'd been there 6 years and are like family to the owner.  It's not the same as being on an actual livery yard! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Not directed at you in particular, more a general statement that I would want my horse burried on my own land - if that land were the horses home. If not the horss home I would have the horse cremated and then brought to my land to have the ashes buried.


----------



## bellgave (29 November 2006)

My friend has buried horses at home. You need to dig a VERY deep hole. I think you do need to ask for permission, but really who would know? Its a bit of a mess to be honest. The thought of keeping them at home is nice, but its not at all pleasant seeing your beloved animal hauled around by a tractor. My one bit of advice is try to get the horse out of the stable and as near to the area you wish to bury it as possible before it is PTS. Getting a dead horse out of a stable is not easy. If you own private land, who would know, just be careful where you bury due to water courses etc.


----------



## Cuffey (29 November 2006)

This is BHS Scotland advice
http://bhsscotland.org/destruction.html


----------



## magic104 (30 November 2006)

You will need to check with DEFRA as rules changed about 2ys ago.  I think it has something to do with the water table, but where as farmers could bury their fallen stock in the past they now have to make other arrangements.  (Though if no one knows!!)  Up until 2yrs ago all the horses/pones put down at the yard were taken up to one of the fields &amp; buried.  When Spice was pts I was not able to even if I had wanted to bury her, because the new laws had come into place.


----------



## runaway (30 November 2006)

It is possible to bury your horse on your own land. Dependant on how efficient your DEFRA and Environment Agency offices are one or the other should be able to answer your query, and then I'd get it in writing too. My uncle contacted DEFRA and they didn't know so they passed him onto the EA who said it was permissible but there are burial regulations as to depth of hole and distance from water sources. Try the web sites and if they don't help give the offices a call.


----------

