Probably?
How big is it?

that would kreep me out
did YOU kill the horse

No it is not illegal. My brother lives in rural southern Wisconsin. His horse passed away last year and they burried him under his favorite tree in the pasture. I would say as long as you aren’t burrying the horse near any drinking water source you should be ok.

might be best to call your local council or something for something like that. I’m sorry for your friend, i hope they are coping ok!

Just dig a hole large enough for the horse to fit in and don’t bury the animal anywhere near a water well.

We bury ours at home. We have a back hoe dig a large hole in one of the back fields and have our own horse cemetery (so to speak - no markers or anything). We are not near any houses or water sources, so it hasn’t been a problem.

Here in Michigan people bury their horses on their property. I am talking about the rural area. If my horse died, he will be buried on my property. I would just make sure if you have a well or septic field don’t bury him close to it. Also you have to make sure there is no underground electrical, water or gas lines. Make sure you dig a hole that is at least 4 feet deep or below the frost line. The deeper the better. I am not sure if it is legal or not in any state, I am sure each township has their regulations, you can call the township. My sympathy goes to your friend, its hard to lose a companion.

You can bury your horse in Illinois. Disposal by rendering, cremation, and burial are all legal in Illinois. Here is the Illinois law governing burial:

If any livestock dies its illegal to bury them on your property. You are SUPPOSE to call deadstock to pick them up or have them cremated. To be honest, several years ago my pony died from colic and we buried her on our property. The main concern is if there is a water source or a well near by. Contamintaion can occur.

No, not at all.
We had a horse die this spring, and buried him on our property.
It’s understandable how easy horses are to get attached to, they are really treated just like people in most families.
If it’s legal to bury a dog on your own property, then it definitely is for a horse! :]

It’s legal, however, you would have to hire a mini-digger.

What about cremation?

Counties, municipalities, etc all have their own little rules and regulations regarding that situations. A lot of areas do have a law against it.
Bury the animal on your own property, and don’t go blabbing it all over what you did. If you don’t ask then you don’t have to answer a lot of questions and have the authorities poking around.
Get a trusted neighbour over with backhoe and have him dig and bury cover and go home.

No, you can’t bury an animal that big or any classed as livestock, at least you can’t over here. Something to do with poisoning the land. They can however have it cremated.

i have buried several of my old horses on my property in colorado as well as most of the ranchers i know.some are buried in their private cemeteries and some like mine are buried in their favorite spot in the pasture.we lust make sure they aren’t too close to the well.find a neighbor with a backhoe and dig a hole deep enough so that it has enough covering so that coyotes and other animals cant dig it up.

No it is not illegal.

Lots of people do that with there horses. But if it is to big it would be better if you buried him/her is one of those pet funeral homes.

It can be. If they want to go the legal route, they need to check with the local health department.

Another option is to make a bed of lime dust, about 6-8″ thick. Lay the horse to rest in the bed of lime, then well the dust up around the perimiter and cover with lime dust and mulch. In this heat, the body will dehydrate and decompose very quickly. Next spring if they want to bury the remaining skeleton, they may. It will be very clean.

Sorry for your friend, and {{{hugs}}} her way.

Check with your local gov- where i live in MN we cant, but we do anyways. just try to stay away from power lines, water, ect. but otherwise should be fine. Just dig a big hole with some equipment and dont tell everyone youre doing it- if it isnt allowed, theres a chance someone who doesnt like you wil hear and turn you in.

I would check the information on aquifers in your area if they intend to do it. Many areas in Illinois have shallow aquifers and pollution of the water supply is an issue. They could end up polluting their own water if they don’t know the depth of their aquifer. That said, horses are buried all of the time here…..we have one buried on our property that the former owners still come to visit (we removed the flowers but don’t mow or maintain the spot, so it’s easy to find).

It totally depends on your location. It is not illegal in all places, but it is illegal in some places. The best place to ask is a local county extension agent.

As for other methods of Disposal.
Rendering is not that expensive but they usually charge 100-200 to come pick up the horse ( in my area)
Cremation costs between 800-1500 ( in my area) and depending on if you want the ashes back or not.
Burial in the local land fill costs 200-300 ( in my area)
So there are options but you have to check around and check prices.

As you can see I’ve had to deal with the issue recently ( lost a horse last year) and I’ve had to decide on what to do with my horse.

laws vary by county, but if the water table is low in your area or you get your water from a well, do not regardless of law. Horses can carry many illness and fester illness in their carcass that will get into the water. Not may, WILL get into the water. So even if the laws check out, if these factors are present cremation is a better option. More costly than the usual dump truck and a landfill grave, but you can bury the ashs. Typical cremation can be $1 per pound plus pick up.