Horse aftercare near Crowley: cremation, burial and more
Losing a horse is a practical emergency as well as a heartbreak. This guide for Crowley covers the first hours, the truck, the costs and the keepsakes you'll want to save.
- Honest costs for Crowley horse owners
- Individual cremation, confirmed in writing
- Tail, mane and shoe keepsakes
Crowley, Texas
How equine cremation works for Crowley owners
Fort Worth's cattle and rodeo past has left the region with a fair share of livestock services, though only a handful of facilities offer private cremation for a horse or cow. Check the hauling distance, whether loading is included in the price, and when the ashes will be ready. Rendering, or a grave on your own acreage where the county permits it, are the usual alternatives.
South of Crowley, into Johnson County, the land opens up into rolling pasture with horses, cattle and small herds of goats and sheep, much of it on family acreages rather than big ranches. When a large animal dies there, the hauler will ask about gate width, the condition of the lane and whether their rig can get to the body without crossing soft ground.
Rural owners around Crowley often have more options than city boarders: space to bury, room to compost, neighbors with the right machinery. What they may not have is a crematory nearby. If you want your horse's ashes back, expect a long haul and budget for it; if you don't, burial or a renderer may be quicker and much cheaper, and you can still keep a tail braid and a shoe.
With roughly 20,954 residents, Crowley is the 143rd-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Crowley are based about 12 miles away in Fort Worth, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
The closest communities we cover are Burleson (4 miles, a larger centre), Joshua (8 miles) and Benbrook (9 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Crowley too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
55.7%[1]
The NFDA projected Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% 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.
To check the figures yourself, see Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and American Horse Council.
Farm burial, cremation and local habits
In Texas, about 55.7%[1] of people are cremated. Treat that as a sign of local habits, not as a guide to your horse: horse aftercare is driven far more by land, distance and cost. Owners who board are more likely to cremate; owners with acreage are more likely to bury or call a renderer. Both are common here, and both are loving choices.
The Texas figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Weather, ground and truck access in Crowley
In the hottest months (June, July, August and September), schedule a planned euthanasia for early morning. The ground is firmer, the air is cooler, the vet and the driver are fresher, and you're not racing the afternoon heat. Many owners book the truck for the same morning too, so their horse isn't left in a paddock through the hottest part of the day.
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[5]. In hot weather especially, never leave a horse uncovered overnight while you wait for a truck.
How much to budget, including the haul
Horse cremation costs more for a simple reason: one horse fills most of a large-animal chamber, around 73% of chamber capacity[6] on our estimate, so each horse is cremated on its own. Per pound, that works out at about $0.80/lb[7] at midpoint prices, several times the cost of rendering or composting. Ask any provider serving Crowley to list the cremation and the haul separately.
We keep the detailed Texas price table on one page so it stays current: see Texas prices.
Free tool
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Paperwork and permission in Texas
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 Texas.
To find your county or city office in Texas, start with the official Texas local government directory.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Texas level first; our Texas rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Crowley or your HOA adds anything.
If it happened tomorrow: a checklist
- Tell your child plainly and gently, using the words "died" and "dead" rather than "put to sleep" or "went away".
- Let them choose whether to say goodbye, then offer a small task if they'd like one, such as grooming the mane or choosing a ribbon for the tail.
- Save something just for them: a braid of tail, a small shoe, the rosettes from the last show.
- Say goodbye before the truck arrives. Most children do better somewhere else while the pony is loaded.
- Plan a small ritual for when the ashes come home, perhaps a handful scattered in the field or a shrub planted in the pony's memory.
- Let the pony club, the instructor and the school know, then the adults around your child can make sense of a quiet few weeks.
- Leave talk of a new pony until your child raises it.
Keeping your horse's memory close to home
Late spring thunderstorms can drop a lot of rain on the pastures south of Crowley in a short time, leaving fields too soft for a heavy truck for several days. Owners of an elderly horse or cow can pick a loading spot near the road or on gravel ahead of time. It is one of those small preparations that pays off on a hard day.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, try the free planning tools, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, or look at how readers voted in our polls. Close to Crowley we also cover Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio; the full list for Texas and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
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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 Texas attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Texas human cremation rate at about 55.7%[1]. We show it on the Crowley 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.
How does Crowley's weather affect horse aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Crowley, with average highs around 95°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.
Where are the providers that serve Crowley actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Fort Worth, about 12 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Crowley and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Crowley?
Usually yes. Burleson is about 4 miles away, Joshua is about 8 miles away and Benbrook is about 9 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the euthanasia method affect what I can do afterwards?
It can. After a barbiturate euthanasia, a horse carries drug residue, so the body has to go somewhere scavengers can't reach it: deep underground, into a cremation chamber or to an approved processor; drug labels have required that warning since 2003[5]. Some renderers charge more for, or refuse, euthanized horses. If you're set on rendering, ask the renderer before the vet visit.
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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% 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] 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.
- [6] A 1,100 lb horse uses about 73% of a 1,500 lb animal incinerator load, so large-animal units generally cremate one horse at a time. Our estimate: 1,100 / 1,500 x 100. How we calculate.
- [7] Midpoint horse cremation cost works out to about $0.80 per pound of body weight, versus about $0.14 per pound for rendering pickup and $0.23 per pound for on-farm composting. Our estimate: cremation $800 / 1,000 lb; rendering $137.50 / 1,000 lb; composting $275 / 1,200 lb. How we calculate.
- [8] 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.
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