Horse cremation and aftercare in Schertz
Losing a horse is a practical emergency as well as a heartbreak. This guide for Schertz covers the first hours, the truck, the costs and the keepsakes you'll want to save.
- Providers that can take a full-size horse
- Collection priced from your barn's address
- Burial, rendering and compost explained too
Schertz, Texas
Where horses live around Schertz, and why it matters
South Texas heat means a large animal's body must be handled quickly, often within a few hours during summer. Owners with a senior horse or a sick cow often find it easier to settle on a plan in advance, so the calls aren't made in a rush. Your large-animal vet usually knows which removal and cremation services operate in this part of the county.
Equine and livestock cremation providers serving greater San Antonio typically include the northeast suburbs in their area. Individual cremation of a horse is a substantial cost, and communal cremation offers a lower-priced alternative without the return of ashes. If you'd rather bury an animal on your own property, check with Guadalupe County first, since rules can depend on distance from wells and waterways.
Rural owners around Schertz 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.
About 45,978 people live in Schertz, which makes it the 82nd-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is San Antonio, about 16 miles (26 km) away, which is where some providers serving Schertz are based.
The closest communities we cover are Universal City (1 miles), Cibolo (2 miles) and Converse (3 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Schertz 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and American Horse Council; we only apply it to this.
How Texas thinks about cremation
About 55.7%[1] of people in Texas choose cremation, so it's familiar to most families, even if older relatives remember farm burials as the norm. For a horse you can have a little of both: cremation now, then a small burial of the ashes on land you'll keep, or scattering along a trail you rode together. Burying ashes is a far smaller job than burying a horse.
Source for the Texas number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Schertz, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Planning around the Schertz calendar
Whatever the season, the rule for a horse is the same: plan for collection within a day. A body of 1,000 lb or more can't be moved indoors or kept cool, and nobody benefits from waiting. Cover the body with a tarp, keep other animals away and make the calls early.
Budgeting for your horse's aftercare near Schertz
The prices below are national extension figures, not quotes from local providers, and they haven't been adjusted for inflation, so treat them as a floor. Fuel, distance and weekend calls all push totals up. A written quote from your barn's address, listing collection, cremation and the container, is the only number worth relying on.
The full price table by size is on our Texas 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 Texas allows for a horse
Many owners assume that because it's their land, they can do what they like for their horse. Usually they can, within limits. In Texas those limits typically cover burial depth, distance from water and wells, and timing. Renting or boarding changes things again, because the landowner's permission comes first.
The official Texas local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Schertz.
We keep Texas's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Texas rules summary. Before a home burial in Schertz, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do when your horse dies in Schertz
- Stop somewhere safe the moment a horse collapses in the trailer, then phone the closest equine vet; at a showground there's usually one on duty.
- Ask the venue or show office which collector they call in this situation. Nearly every venue has someone lined up.
- Decide whether to bring your horse home versus using a provider close to the venue. Local arrangements tend to cost less and happen sooner than a long drive back.
- Check what moving a body over county or state boundaries requires, keeping the vet's documents in the truck for the journey.
- Tell your insurer ahead of any disposal, if you hold a policy on your horse.
- Have the ashes delivered to your home address, and get the expected date confirmed in writing.
- Let other riders help. Showground friends will step in to mind your other horses and get the trailer home; you only have to say yes.
Tail braids, shoes and scattering the ashes
Schertz itself is suburban, but the Guadalupe County land around it still holds ranchland, horse properties and small farms, especially to the east toward Marion and Seguin. If your horses, goats or cattle live on acreage outside the city, say how far you are from I-35 or FM 78 and whether your gate and drive can take a heavy truck before anyone sets out.
try the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, See what each option includes on our services page, look through our guides and the blog. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Austin, and every city in Texas.
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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Schertz?
Usually yes. Universal City is about 1 miles away, Cibolo is about 2 miles away and Converse is about 3 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
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 Schertz 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.
Where are the providers that serve Schertz actually based?
Some are local, and some run from San Antonio, about 16 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Schertz and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is there a horse crematory near Schertz?
There may not be one close by. Large-animal chambers are expensive to build and run, so they cluster where there are enough horses to keep them busy, and owners near Schertz often deal with a provider an hour or more away. Some run collection routes on set days. Tell us your address and we'll look for equine-capable providers that reach you, including any across a county or state line.
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[6] for an 1,100 lb horse on our estimate, followed by a long cool-down and processing. Around Schertz, distance and scheduled delivery routes add time too. Ask for an expected return date and whether the ashes will be delivered or need collecting.
Is rendering available near Schertz?
It depends on where you are. Only about 50%[7] of US states have rendering plants, most of them in the Midwest, and some no longer accept horses or charge more for euthanized ones because of drug residues. Where it's available, pickup typically costs $75-$200[8]. Ask your vet or the state agriculture office whether a renderer serves Schertz.
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] 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.
- [6] 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.
- [7] Only about 50% of U.S. states have rendering plants, most of them concentrated in the Midwest. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [8] Rendering companies typically charge a pickup fee of $75-$200 to remove a horse carcass, depending on location. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
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