Leicester Horse Cremations

Leicester horse cremations from Heavenly Pastures give owners across this East Midlands city and the green villages on its edge a compassionate and well run service when a horse, pony or donkey dies. The team collects from yards, paddocks and farms around Leicester, Anstey, Groby, Ratby, Kirby Muxloe, Oadby, Wigston, Syston, Thurnby, Scraptoft and Birstall.

Leicester Horse Cremations Around the City

Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, founded by the Romans as Ratae Corieltauvorum, and the Jewry Wall still stands beside the remains of its baths. In 2012 the remains of Richard III were discovered beneath a car park, and the king now rests in Leicester Cathedral, a short walk from the visitor centre that tells his story. The River Soar and the Grand Union Canal run through the city, with Abbey Park and the ruins of Leicester Abbey on their banks. Beyond the ring road, the countryside opens quickly into rolling fields, hedges and small woods, with Charnwood Forest rising to the north west and the famous hunting country of High Leicestershire to the east. Horses are kept on livery yards on the urban fringe, smallholdings in the villages and farms across the county.

Busy city roads, suburban lanes and farm tracks all shape how a visit is planned. Before Leicester horse cremations are arranged, the team asks how the yard or field is reached and where the horse is lying, then agrees an arrival time.

Horses on the City Edge

Many horses around Leicester live on liveries close to the suburbs, yet within minutes their riders can be on bridleways through Bradgate Park country or the lanes towards Billesdon. The county has a long equestrian tradition.

A Planned Day

Where a horse’s pain or illness can no longer be managed, planned euthanasia lets the family choose when and where to say goodbye, often in a quiet paddock away from the busy yard. The vet will explain the method, and the collection can be arranged for soon afterwards.

Check with the insurer first if the horse is insured. The passport must go back to the issuing organisation within thirty days of death.

Ashes Returned to the Family

With an individual cremation with ashes returned, the horse is cremated on its own. The ashes are returned in an oak casket with a brass nameplate, and families often scatter them in a favourite field or keep the casket at home.

Ashes Laid to Rest

A cremation without ashes returned offers the same care, with the ashes laid to rest on the family’s behalf.

Clay, the Soar and Burial

Leicestershire clay holds water, and the Soar and its brooks flood the meadows around the city in wet winters. Most suburban and urban edge land is unsuitable, and burial needs local authority permission well away from water. Cremation is the practical answer.

Unexpected Death

If a horse is found dead, the vet should be called first. Heavenly Pastures will then arrange a collection at an agreed time, and the collection can wait a little if relatives want to gather.

Bradgate Park

North west of the city, Bradgate Park is an ancient deer park of rocky outcrops, bracken and old oaks, with the ruined home of Lady Jane Grey at its heart. Old John Tower on the hilltop looks out over Leicester, and families come here to walk and reflect.

Groby, Ratby and Kirby Muxloe

To the west, Groby and Ratby sit on the edge of Charnwood, and Kirby Muxloe has a moated brick castle left unfinished in the fifteenth century. Liveries and paddocks lie among the fields between these villages.

Oadby and Wigston

South east of the city, Oadby and Wigston are busy suburbs, yet yards and small farms still sit on their edges, with bridleways leading out towards Great Glen and the Leicestershire hills.

Syston and the Wreake

To the north east, Syston lies near the meeting of the Wreake and the Soar, with water meadows and quiet villages stretching towards Melton.

Abbey Park and the Soar

Abbey Park, opened in 1882 beside the ruins of the abbey where Cardinal Wolsey died, is one of the city’s best loved green spaces, with lakes, gardens and riverside paths. Further along the Soar, the towpath of the Grand Union Canal runs through Aylestone Meadows, a wide stretch of wild grassland and wetland on the southern edge of the city.

Winter in the County

Heavy clay and wet gateways make winter hard work, and frost lies in the valleys. Older horses need good shelter and firm standing, and an early talk with the vet helps owners plan ahead.

Practicalities of Collection

Yards close to the city sometimes have tight entrances or shared drives, so the team checks width, parking and turning space first. A clean vehicle carrying nothing else arrives, closed in on every side. A purpose made winch moves the body gently from a stable or barn. An ABPR transfer note records the owner’s details and the horse’s name and is kept for six years.

Comfort and Remembrance

A companion may call and search for a while, and time with the body before it is taken usually helps. Families from Leicester and the surrounding villages are welcome to share pictures and memories on the Remembrance pages.

Leicester and the Neighbouring Towns

Leicester horse cremations form part of a service across the East Midlands. To the north west, Coalville horse cremations covers Charnwood, while Hinckley horse cremations serves the south west of the county. Leicestershire horse cremations covers the wider county, Ashby-de-la-Zouch horse cremations serves the National Forest, and Nuneaton horse cremations covers north Warwickshire.

Arranging Leicester Horse Cremations

Losing a horse is never easy, but the arrangements can be made calm and clear. The team at Heavenly Pastures will explain each step and go at a pace that suits the family. For Leicester horse cremations, call 01704 776976.