Frequently Asked Questions

You horse will be carefully drawn into a bespoke transporter. In our experience the best way to do this is to place a collar around their neck and steadily draw them into the transporter using a winch.

At Dignity Pet Crematorium we have small pet cremators and are currently working on our very own in-house equine one. In the meantime, we work with fellow APPCC members to deliver a genuine individual service where we guarantee they will be looked after at each stage of the process. Members of the APPCC have bespoke horse cremators. This means that your horse can be placed in on its own and in their entirety.

Yes, the crematoria we work with are approved by the AHVLA (Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency) under the Animal By-Products Regulations. Given these regulations only cover basic disposal procedures, more importantly the crematoria adhere to the APPCC Code of Practice that safeguards you and ensures your horse will be looked after exactly as you wish. We also regularly inspect their facilities to ensure high standards are maintained.

Your horse will be placed into a refrigerated container up until they are cremated. They are then cradled on a hydraulic lift (much like a bail lifter) then carefully taken and placed into the cremation chamber.

From the point of collection paperwork accompanies your horse throughout the process. Their cremation is logged and their ashes are weighed after cremation as a safeguard to ensure you receive all their ashes back (this is because some cases of fraud have involved the ashes of one horse being “split” between several owners with the other horses being sent for cheaper disposal without the owners knowledge). A horse’s ashes should weigh 16 – 20kg depending on the size of the horse.

Yes. They will be placed in on their own and all their ashes will be recovered from the chamber before the next cremation commences.

Yes. You will receive a certificate of authenticity confirming the date of their cremation, that it was an individual cremation and that the ashes you have received are from your horse and no one else’s.

Yes. A horse’s ashes weigh between 16–20 kg on average so the casket is very large and very heavy. Although we always return all their ashes you can ask us to split the ashes so that the majority are placed in a simple option for scattering / burial and a smaller amount are placed into a casket or keepsake item to treasure indoors. Alternatively, if it was a shared horse we can place their ashes in two or three smaller caskets. We can also return one (or more) of their shoes that has been specially cleaned and polished. Just talk to us about your wishes and we will do our very best to accommodate your needs.