Composting Mortality/Horses

Mare Center News
January 2011, Volume 2, Issue 1

"With the closing of equine slaughter facilities in the Unites States, on-farm burial strictly controlled by law, rendering plants overflowing, and incineration expenses increasing, equine carcass disposal has become a major concern of the horse industry. In light of that, the MARE Center has developed a project that will determine if composting is a viable alternative. Horses euthanized for health reasons are being used to test a static composting method. Hopes are high that this method will prove to be the low cost and low maintenance answer horse owners seek. Along with discovering the length of time required to complete composting, different materials are also being studied by the research team to determine if their addition to the process will yield positive results. From this study, the MARE Center hopes to offer composting as an option to horse owners whenever they may be faced with the difficult situation of equine mortality."