Saying goodbye to your horse in Ghent
A horse leaves around 38.5 lb[1] of ashes on our estimate, and it takes a large-animal chamber and a winch truck to get there. Here's how that works for owners in Ghent.
- Honest costs for Ghent horse owners
- Individual cremation, confirmed in writing
- Tail, mane and shoe keepsakes
Ghent, Flanders
Finding horse aftercare that reaches Ghent
Ghent is surrounded by the flat farmland of East Flanders, with dairy farms, horse pastures and hobby farms in the Meetjesland and along the Leie and Scheldt valleys. Flanders has a long tradition of heavy draught horses as well as a large riding and sport horse community. If a horse or farm animal dies, describe farm access and ground conditions, since wet clay pastures can be hard to reach.
Belgium is small, so horse owners around Ghent can realistically compare providers across Flanders and toward Antwerp or Brussels. If your horse or pony is in its final years, gather quotes while there is no pressure, ask whether they can reach a field after heavy rain, and decide whether you want the ashes back. Having that settled makes a hard day a little more manageable.
Many horse owners around Ghent rely on a mix of help: the vet for the goodbye, a neighbor with a tractor or skid steer to move the body a short way to where a truck can reach, and a provider for the rest. If you're lucky enough to have that neighbor, ask them now, and ask the provider whether they'd rather load from the ground or from a trailer.
Ghent's population is around 262,000, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Ghent are based about 32 miles away in Antwerp, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
67.98%[2]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
6.6 million[3]
There were an estimated 6.6 million horses in the United States in 2023, down from 7.2 million in 2017.
$600-$1,000[4]
Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane.
3-5% of body weight[5]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
Where these figures come from: Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and American Horse Council.
Farm burial, cremation and local habits
Cremation is common in Belgium, at about 67.98%[2], and so is burial, which leaves room for a middle route: a pet cemetery that accepts large animals. Few do, and a horse-sized plot costs far more than one for a dog, but it gives owners without land a grave they can visit. Ask about access, maintenance and what happens if the cemetery ever closes.
We take the Belgium rate from Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Ghent, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Heat, frost and mud: timing in Ghent
If the ground is frozen, waterlogged or rock-hard, burial may have to wait or become impractical. Cremation, rendering and fallen-stock collection work in most weather as long as a vehicle can reach your horse, which is why access matters more than the calendar.
Horse aftercare prices for Ghent owners
In much of Europe, a fallen horse can be collected by a regional rendering or carcass-disposal service at modest cost, while individual cremation with ashes returned costs considerably more. Give providers your horse's approximate weight in kilograms and the address of the yard, and ask what's included before you compare.
The full price table by size is on our Flanders page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
What Flanders allows for a horse
Rules for horses are often written for livestock, even when your horse is a much-loved pet. That's why a call to the agriculture department, county or local council is worth making before a burial or a compost pile goes in. Cremation and licensed collection avoid most of that paperwork. Here's the picture for Flanders.
What to do when your horse dies in Ghent
- Stay safe first. Sudden movement is still possible after a collapse, so ask everyone to stand well clear until the vet has confirmed the death.
- Call your equine vet or their out-of-hours number, even if you're sure. They can confirm death and help plan what comes next.
- Save your keepsakes now: cut a length of tail from underneath, a lock of mane, and pull a shoe if you'd like one. Take off the halter.
- Cover the body using a sheet or tarpaulin. Give the other horses a short time with their friend, then move them and any other animals away.
- Call a collection service or crematory, then explain the access: how wide the gates are, whether the ground is soft, where a truck has to stop.
- Ask for a written total that shows pickup, cremation and container as separate lines, and check that your horse is cremated on its own.
- Tell the barn or your neighbors what time to expect the truck, so someone has unlocked the gates and brought the other horses in.
Ashes, keepsakes and a place to visit
In Belgium, farm livestock is handled through the regulated collection system for dead animals, while a horse, pony, donkey or pet goat can go to a specialist provider for a single cremation with the ashes returned. East Flanders winters leave clay pastures soft for weeks. Tell the provider whether your animal was a family companion or farm stock, and ask for one written price covering pickup, cremation and the urn.
read our guides and latest articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, Compare every option on our services page. More local pages: Antwerp, the Flanders overview and every city in Belgium.
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Free tools to help you plan
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Aftercare options compared
Compare private, communal and water cremation with burial on cost, timing and what comes home.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Questions people ask
How do Belgium attitudes to cremation compare?
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) puts the Belgium human cremation rate at about 67.98%[2]. We show it on the Ghent page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ghent?
The closest communities we cover are Brussels (about 31 miles) and Antwerp (about 32 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ghent too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Antwerp to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Antwerp (roughly 32 miles from Ghent) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Should I be there when my horse is loaded onto the truck?
You can, but many owners choose not to. Loading uses a winch and takes a few minutes, and it can be hard to watch. A common approach is to say goodbye, cover your horse, then let a friend or the barn manager stay with the driver. If you do want to be there, tell the provider beforehand and they'll talk you through what happens.
Who collects a dead horse near Ghent?
It depends on what operates locally: an equine crematory, a renderer or fallen-stock hauler, a contractor with a backhoe for burial, or sometimes a landfill that accepts horses. Your large-animal vet will know which of these actually come out to farms around Ghent. Ask them now, while there's no hurry, and keep the numbers in the barn office.
How long until I get my horse's ashes back?
Longer than for a small pet. The burn phase alone takes at least 4.4 hours[7] for an 1,100 lb horse on our estimate, followed by a long cool-down and processing. Around Ghent, distance and scheduled delivery routes add time too. Ask for an expected return date and whether the ashes will be delivered or need collecting.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] A 1,100 lb horse would be expected to return roughly 38.5 lb of cremated remains (plausible range 33-55 lb). Our estimate: 1,100 lb x 3.5% (range 3%-5%). How we calculate.
- [2] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [3] There were an estimated 6.6 million horses in the United States in 2023, down from 7.2 million in 2017. American Horse Council - 2023 National Equine Economic Impact Study release, 2023.
- [4] Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [5] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [6] Choosing on-farm composting instead of cremation saves a horse owner roughly $525 at midpoint prices (2012-2019 extension figures, not inflation-adjusted). Our estimate: $800 cremation midpoint - $275 composting midpoint. How we calculate.
- [7] At an average rate of 250 lb per hour, the burn phase for a 1,100 lb horse would take at least about 4.4 hours, not counting preheating and cool-down. Our estimate: 1,100 lb / 250 lb per hour. How we calculate.
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