What does mortality transport and composting look like?

One question I get is: “How do you actually move a horse after they’ve died?”

It’s a good question! I had it myself when faced with the unexpected loss of our horse, Eddie.

Moving a large animal requires tools and care. My approach uses specialized equipment, including glides and winches, along with techniques designed to move the animal as gently and safely as possible.

Once the horse is carefully loaded, they are transported in a clean, enclosed trailer to the destination chosen by the owner. That might be a crematorium, landfill, university, private property, or eventually, our farm for composting.

The privacy of the enclosed trailer is important to me. I want this process to feel different from simply hauling away an animal. We are handling someone's horse, companion, and family member.

My hope is that when an owner makes that difficult call, they can trust that their horse will be handled with the same care and dignity they received in life.

Compost is an additive that benefits the soil in many ways. It isn’t a fertilizer and it does not resemble the parts that came together to create it. Compost looks like dark dirt and smells earthy — and it does not have offensive odors.

Composting? Really?

Composting is a natural process that allows an animal’s organic material and nutrients to break down and return to the earth. It takes time, careful preparation, and the right conditions—but the basic idea is beautifully simple.

Rather than viewing an animal’s remains as something that needs to be “disposed of,” composting allows us another way to think about what happens next. Our process includes building a bed of clean woodchips in which to lay the horse on. We then fully cover the body with a blanket of stall waste (wood shavings and manure), monitor temperatures, complete two high-heat cycles in which naturally occurring thermophiles break down organic matter, kill pathogens and weed seeds, and nullify barbiturates (euthanization drugs). What remains will sleep for some time as it cures and stabilizes and after several months, it will look like rich black dirt and have an earthy smell. Compost is a valuable additive that aids soil structure and water retention and can be finely top-dressed or worked into the soil.

For me, there is something meaningful about returning those nutrients to the land. Not everyone will choose it, and that’s okay. I want to create an option that isn't readily available to horse owners and I’d be honored to care for their horses in the end… and their new beginning.