Trails End Large Animal Disposal

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Over the years of helping people in the Valley with their loses, we have encountered many unfortunate accidents.  Some of these accidents are things you may never think about, or you may pass a potential problem by each day and either say,” I’ll fix that later”, or “Oh, that will never happen”.  Believe us, it can and it does.  The things we pass by daily can turn into the “If  I had only”.  Don’t let that be you.  Below are some safety tips and they are all from accidents we have witnessed.

Safety tips

· Always remove halters.  Even if you are doing some training.  They do get caught easily and will strangle a horse.

· Move manure forks  and other tools far away from pens, believe me, 10 feet is still to close.

· Look for broken welds on fencing, you would not believe how easy it is for a horse to push a bar loose and then it becomes a weapon.

· Fix any broken bars on fencing, finding  an animal impaled is not something you ever want to see.

· Make sure you  don’t have gaps between panels top or bottom, feet are not the only thing  that horses can wedge into small gaps.

· If you have fencing that is mobile and not  in the ground, make sure it is not near, or can not be pushed near anything potentially harmful to your animal.

· If you have fencing that is mobile and not in the ground make sure it is not near or cannot be pushed or worked over the edge of an embankment or cliff. 

· If  you are having construction done at your place, make sure your animals are securely locked away from all construction including ditches dug for sewer lines.  Horses cannot get out of even shallow ditches and will die of exhaustion fighting and trying to run or jump out.

· Make  sure all out building, shops, garages ect. are securely closed and locked in some way.  Horses are curious and will find a way in and can’t always find their way out.  When it is 110 outside, it is much hotter inside and they can’t make it through an entire day when you are gone at work.

· No matter what building you have, make sure the feed room, any feed in any building of any kind is securely locked.  Then check it again before you leave for the day.  Always!

· When you load your horse in a trailer, whether you tie them or not, check your lead rope length.  If it is long enough to drag outside of the trailer and catch a wheel in any way, take it off.  If there is the slightest chance it can get outside of the trailer, take it off.  You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t.  Trailer ties are a wonderful solution if you tie your horse.

· Make sure you have the correct size of  ball for your truck and trailer.

· If you are first timer at hauling horses, have an experienced person help you inspect your truck and trailer for proper ball size, fitting attachments, brakes, trailer flooring and trailer gate latches.  If you don’t know what to look for, have someone help you inspect your hauling equipment and help you with correct loading procedures.

· If you borrow a trailer, don’t take your friends word for it when they say, that the trailer is ready to go.  Inspect it yourself!  Make sure everything, especially the ball, floor and gates work correctly and are safe.

· If you have children you are teaching about loading and hauling horses, always inspect their work.  Never leave the responsibility in the hands of even the most capable child.  Losing a horse out of the back of your trailer because you were in a hurry or you thought “They can do it” is not an experience and memory any child should have.

· Pull trailer mats and thoroughly inspect floor boards.

· Check all trailer gates and make sure they work properly and  you can secure them.

 
Text Box:

FYI:

Under the Arizona Administrative Code

R-3-2-206 B it is required that anyone who collects/hauls dead livestock be registered.  To bury livestock on private property requires that the property owner be an agricultural entity and have 40 acres or more and be in an unincorporated area.

If you have any questions, please call

Jan@ 623-680-0452

Below is an article written in 2000 when we first started Trails End.  We want to Thank everyone who helps make this business possible.  A special thanks to all of the Vets across the Valley and State that work with us.  We couldn’t do it without all the support!

    Thanks, Trails End

 

Nor rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail…..

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The Horses Prayer

Feed me, water and care for me,
and when the day's work is done,
provide me with a shelter,
a pasture large enough for me
to run, romp and play.
Talk to me, your voice often means
as much to me as the reins.
Pet me sometime that I may serve you
more gladly and learn to love you.
Never strike, beat, or kick me when I don't understand what you want,
but give me a chance to understand you.

And finally oh master,
when my youthful strength is gone,
do not turn me out to starve or freeze,
or sell me to some cruel owner
to be slowly tortured or stoned to death,
but do thou, my master,
take my life in the kindest way, and
your God will reward you here and hereafter.
You will not consider me irreverent
if I ask this in the name of Him who was born in a stable...

Amen...

 

Humanitarian vision gives peace to horse lovers, dignity to pets

By Janet DelTufo, Staff Writer

  

When a beloved pet passes on, especially here in a rural area, finding a humanitarian way to bring peace to the animal is fairly easy. Burying a domestic pet in a homeowner's yard, or out in the open desert, is not an unusual practice.

But what happens when the beloved pet is not a small cat or dog, but a very large horse?

 

"There was a horse that laid dead for a week at Bar S, waiting to be picked up and I thought there had to be a better way of taking care of these animals," said Jan Neitz, owner of Trail's End Large Animal Disposal.

Neitz, who is well known among fellow horse people in the Wickenburg area, worked at the Bar S Animal Clinic in Wickenburg for four years. It was there that she became involved in the removal of large animals that had passed on.

"I saw a need for this kind of service, because it breaks your heart to know that a horse has been laying under a tarp for a week, waiting for the only service in Phoenix to get out and pick up the animal," Neitz said.

Scenes such as that is what made Neitz decide that something had to be done to prevent the lag time in waiting for a pick-up. She made contact with the Rendering Company, the only Phoenix organization that had provided large animal pick-up service to veterinarians, and began her service.

"After meeting with Rendering, I started to sub-contract for them, and at first I was only doing it part time, and still working for Bar S," she said. "But I ended up getting so busy that this is what I do full time now."

Neitz first started hauling large animals in January, but during the past 10 months, she has seen yet another need almost as great as the pick-up itself.

When horses or cattle are picked up and brought to Baker Commodities, there is not a burial. The animals become feed for dogs, and even the hoofs are used for certain oils. But for some people who lived 20 to 30 years with a horse, a grave for the animal is desired.

"Some people will say that since their horse lived a good life, that it's time that the horse provides for other animals," Neitz said. "But some want their horses buried, and this is very hard to accomplish."

Neitz is in the process of applying for a permit, where she can bury the horse on state land. She said that a person can bury a horse on their own property, as long as the acreage amount criteria is met.

"It's very hard, even to bury a horse on your own property," she said. "I buried a horse before, and my other horses were crazy for year. In fact, they still snort at the gravesite."

Neitz has had to "put a shield" over herself, to be strong enough emotionally to deal with the death of beloved family members. She used to earn her living by helping to heal living animals. Now, she is making her living taking away those that are no longer among the living.

"Some days are bad," she said. "And I feel all the emotion, because when a horse owner starts to cry, I'm right there with that person."

Neitz said the people in this area -- and in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Cave Creek where she also makes pick-ups -- have been very appreciative of the new path she has chosen for her life. She charges $230 for a pick-up -- the same price established by Rendering. Unlike Rendering, though, she has the ability to get to the animals much quicker.

"The people have all been great to me," she said. "I'm always getting hugged because they are so relieved that they won't have to see their horse lay for a week before someone can come and get it.

"And yes, I guess this is my destiny, though who would have ever thought that I would be in the mortuary business," she added. "But I just couldn't sit back and see another horse have to lay for a week. I had to do something."

This is not any easy process, but having a compassionate team of professional people helping makes it easier. 

That is our goal!