I buried a horse the day after Christmas. I started to do some math in my head. Over 10,000 horses in Bervard Co., average life span for a horse is around 20 -25 years, though they can live for up to 30 years.$250 to $600 per horse. Even a low estament would be living. Do any of you bury many horses on a regular bases? e
We bury 6- 8 per year, usually from customers that we have done work for in the past. it is somewhat a PITA for us but we have not charged anyone for doing one yet, as long as they have had us do work for them.
There is a trend toward composting carcasses instead of burying them, groundwater issues. You could charge for disposing of the carcass and sell the compost.
Back in the day my dad use to park his equipment at a friends farm, I know he has quite a few under his belt. I have a few under mine as well. Not as common any more though. The most memorable was the donkey that decided to jump in the hole while no one was looking and wait for the vet to show up. I came around the corner and noticed she was gone, well, look down in the hole and there she is standing waiting. Was like she new exactly what was happening. On a different occasion had to bury 2 horses for a friend's friend using his 426 cat with backwards controls. Told me no one will be around to watch you and the holes will be dug, just have to bury them. Well his friend thought it was a fact of life and the kids need to know whats going on. I felt terrible while Im trying to be gentle but backwards controls was helping very much.
I live in "horse country" Caledonia Wisconsin and bury about 8- 10 horses a year. I charge about $200 - $300. I can drive to the farms and usually don't even trailer my 580 C with 1500 original hours. I wish I could find more regular work, but I am known in the area for burying horses. I buried my neighbor's dog the day before Christmas, he insisted I take $40. My buddy charges $900 -$1000 for cemetery burials. If you have to drag the horse, pull them by the rear legs. If you pull them by the front legs their head drags backwards and the owners get freaked out. Good luck!
Was at the local butcher shop discussing this very issue with the ower who is a friend. He was going to burry a pile of deer carcasses a couple of years back but the feds stepped in, dep or some other alphabet soup, said he had to call a rendering truck or incenerate them. So he built a huge outdoor wood stove. He says that all it takes is a little cardboard the leftovers take care of the rest. Pet cremation might be a better gig...
Here in So Cal we usually call the render truck, usually shows up within a couple hours. I think it's about $300. We bury a few of the 'important' ones...
I am thinking dealing with people and collecting money would be tuff.
Just like with demos, money up front... As far as dealing with people, your in a service industry, need I say more?
I've buried probably over 100 through the years (35 at once after a barn fire) but around here, like others have said the EPA now has rules and we have to call a rendering service for "field horses" special ones are usually buried, even if its against the law.
iv'e done a few not a big part of my type of work tb
This is why I brought it up , I now have a better picture of how it would look and problems one might run in to.
whatever you do, always make sure that the hole is 2x as big as you think you need. you want the dead beast to fit with easy even if rigor mortis has it all splayed out...
About 4/5 years ago one of our horses got out in the early hours of the morning, turns out somebody had opened the field gates to go shooting after the foxes and rabbites then never shut the gates . It had some how got its self into next doors garden and consumed half a Laurel hedge, laurel being quiet toxic to horses. By the time the vet had come put the horse down and gone, then myself arriving with a backhoe borrowed from work to remove the horse as the garden is 6ft above the road level, this all coincided with the 9:00am primary school start which just so happens to near enough opposite our neigbours We managed to get the hourse removed and buried with out to much fuss and scaring of the kids . just make sure that the hole is dug big and deep enough to accomidate the effects of rigour.
Ha ha !! this one brings back memories, when I was around 13 my old man sent me to bury a cow the neighbors had dragged to their burial plot (unbeknown to me at the time) so I preceded to dig the hole in a small depression I thought would be the best spot as once the hole was backfilled the depression would fill to the same level as the surrounding dirt, guess what I found down a few feet !! yep - a previous burial - not a pleasant experience - had a hell of a stinkin' mess before I'd finished, got bogged in the process too - what a way to learn.
Sounds like some of the story's they were only buried a few (about 3') feet down. I did mine 7' and room to put a small piano on the bottom.
My dear wife has a few horse critters I would like to bury - guess I should let the kick off first. That $8 / square bale habit of theirs is hard for a cheap guy like me to deal with...