Equine cremation in Margate, Florida
Whether your horse is at home, at a boarding barn or at an equine hospital, you have more choices than you might think in Margate. This page explains each one in plain English.
- Straight answers on trucks, gates and ground
- Written totals that include the haul
- Keepsakes saved before collection
Margate, Florida
Barns, farms and distance around Margate
Margate is built up with homes and shopping plazas and has no farmland. Horse owners in northern Broward usually keep their animals in Parkland or farther south in Davie and Southwest Ranches, where equestrian lots and boarding barns are common. If a horse or pony dies at a boarding stable there, the provider will want the barn's address, gate details and someone on site to meet the truck.
Broward's horse country is flat and low, and a summer downpour can put paddocks under several inches of water in an afternoon. In that climate a heavy body has to be dealt with the same day. If your horse or pony is elderly or ill, work out with the barn manager now where a truck could pull in and which lane stays passable in the wet season.
Don't limit the search to Margate. A provider covering Jacksonville and the surrounding farm roads may already pass close to you, and local haulers often work across county lines. When you call, give your farm's address or the nearest road junction, describe the gate and the ground, and ask for the full total, including any charge for the return of the ashes.
With roughly 60,070 residents, Margate is the 54th-largest of the 235 Florida communities we cover. Hialeah, roughly 27 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Margate run from there.
The closest communities we cover are North Lauderdale (3 miles), Coconut Creek (3 miles) and Coral Springs (4 miles, a larger centre). Providers serving those towns often travel to Margate too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
72.5%[1]
The NFDA projected Florida's cremation rate at 72.5% for 2024.
6.6 million[2]
There were an estimated 6.6 million horses in the United States in 2023, down from 7.2 million in 2017.
$600-$1,000[3]
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[4]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Embrace Pet Insurance and Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension); we only apply it to this.
How Florida thinks about cremation
People here know cremation well: about 72.5%[1] of people in Florida choose it. What surprises many horse owners is the amount of ash. An adult person leaves about 5.4 lb[5], while a horse leaves several times that, so there's enough to scatter on a favorite trail, bury under a tree and still keep a small urn at home.
That Florida rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Margate only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Margate weather and your horse's aftercare
Keep other horses away from the body once they've had a few minutes to see it, and keep dogs away altogether. If your horse was put to sleep with a barbiturate, the body stays toxic to scavengers; US drug labels have carried that warning since 2003[6]. In hot weather especially, never leave a horse uncovered overnight while you wait for a truck.
Margate summers are hot, with August highs averaging about 91°F. A horse's body can't be brought indoors or cooled the way a dog's can, so in the warmer months the clock runs fast. If a death happens in the heat, call your provider straight away, ask for same-day collection and cover the body with a light-colored tarp or sheet, in shade if you can rig some.
What horse cremation costs in Margate
Burial isn't always the cheapest route. Renting a backhoe has been reported at $250-$500[7], which is less than cremation but more than a rendering pickup, and it assumes you own suitable land. Composting a 1,200 lb horse was estimated at $170-$380[8] in materials, equipment and labor. Each route suits a different situation, and the table sets them side by side.
We keep the detailed Florida price table on one page so it stays current: see Florida prices.
Free tool
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Rules worth knowing in Florida
Moving a horse's body along a public road can fall under animal by-product or transport rules, which is one reason licensed collectors do most of this work. If you plan to trailer your horse to a provider yourself, ask the provider and the agriculture office in Florida whether you need anything in writing first. Cremation itself asks nothing of you.
Not sure which office covers Margate? The Florida local government directory is the official list.
For Florida's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Florida guide. Local rules in Margate can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
The first day, step by step
- Decide what you want back: ashes, a grave you can visit, or keepsakes only. That one choice narrows the options fast.
- Check what exists near you: an equine crematory, a renderer or fallen-stock collector, a backhoe operator, or room to compost.
- Check the rules for burial or composting on your land with the county, state or council before you commit.
- Get two written quotes for your chosen route, both covering pickup from where the horse is.
- Ask the hard questions: will my horse be cremated alone, what tag or record follows the body, and will every bit of ash come home?
- Take keepsakes before collection, whatever option you go with.
- Plan for the ashes: expect somewhere around 33 to 55 lb back from a horse, which no ordinary urn will hold.
Keeping your horse's memory close to home
Margate residents who board a horse should know their stable's policy on deaths and whether burial is ever allowed on the property, which is rare in Broward. Having a horse cremated individually so the ashes come home costs several times what rendering or a communal cremation would. It helps to gather estimates ahead of time, including the charge for driving out to the barn.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, use the free tools before you ring anyone, The services page is the place to compare what is included. If you live between Margate and Orlando, Jacksonville, Port St. Lucie and St. Petersburg, either page applies. Every other community in Florida, and all of the United States, is listed too.
Reader polls
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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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
Will I have to travel to Hialeah to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Hialeah (roughly 27 miles from Margate) 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.
How does Margate's weather affect horse aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Margate, with average highs around 91°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Margate?
The closest communities we cover are North Lauderdale (about 3 miles), Coconut Creek (about 3 miles) and Coral Springs (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Margate too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Florida?
For people, yes: about 72.5%[1] of Florida deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Margate follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How is a horse that died in a stall moved out?
Usually with straps and the truck's winch, drawing the body along the aisle and out of the door onto the truck bed. It takes time, and doorways and tight turns can make it harder. Tell the provider the width of the stall door and the aisle when you call. If you're planning a goodbye, choose a spot outside where the truck can reach easily.
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[9] for an 1,100 lb horse on our estimate, followed by a long cool-down and processing. Around Margate, 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] The NFDA projected Florida's cremation rate at 72.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] 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.
- [3] 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.
- [4] 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.
- [5] Adult human cremains averaged 2,430 g (about 5.4 lb) and ranged from 876 g to 3,784 g; stature, not body weight, was the best predictor of cremains weight, because ash is mostly bone. Warren MW, Maples WR. The anthropometry of contemporary commercial cremation. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 1997 (PMID 9144931), 1997.
- [6] Since 2003 the FDA has required euthanasia drug labels to warn that euthanized animals must be disposed of by deep burial, incineration or another approved method to keep scavenging wildlife from eating the carcass. Cornell Waste Management Institute & Penn State - Horse Mortality: Carcass Disposal Alternatives (2012), 2003.
- [7] Renting a backhoe to bury a horse costs roughly $250-$500, and horse disposal in a landfill (where accepted) costs about $80-$150. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [8] Composting a 1,200-pound horse requires about 10 cubic yards of carbon material (wood chips, sawdust), and total material, equipment, fuel and labor costs were estimated at $170-$380 per horse. Cornell Waste Management Institute & Penn State - Horse Mortality: Carcass Disposal Alternatives (2012), 2012.
- [9] 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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