CRANBERRY TWP — Bereaved horse owners now have an option for the dreaded day when they must say goodbye to their equine companion.

Township residents Chris and Jessica Ackerman have opened Thousand Hills Large Animal Crematorium and Memorial on Stanford Road in Muddy Creek Township. The facility, which is licensed by the state Department of Environmental Protection, can cremate miniature to full-size saddle horses and other large animals.

Chris Ackerman said he gained experience in large-animal cremation in Ohio before joining the Army National Guard, in which he still serves.

He said discussions with horse owners revealed there are no cremation facilities in the region.

Ackerman stressed that he does not euthanize horses. Rather, he uses a specially outfitted, 16-foot horse trailer to retrieve a dead animal from a veterinarian's facility, a farm or other location within about 55 miles of the Portersville area. An extra charge is added for longer distances.

After the animal is cremated, the ashes are placed in an oak box made in Saxonburg, complete with a metal plate showing the horse's name, plus a short script that can be chosen by the owner.

The average horse produces 55 pounds of ashes, which goes in a box measuring 18 inches long by a foot high and 13 inches wide. Various size boxes are available depending on the size of the animal.

Ackerman said because he must create a fire that burns 3 million BTUs per hour, he cannot cremate smaller pets such as dogs.

He said he had to comply with stringent DEP regulations before receiving his permit in early June. One was a test of the particulates, odor and visual emissions coming from the crematory's stack.

The test cost the Ackermans $6,000 in propane. He said there is no smoke or odor, and the particulate count came in significantly below DEP maximum levels.

Ackerman said he and his wife have been greatly moved by the families they've worked with so far.

“There's an absolute need,” Ackerman said. “It's heartwarming. When we meet them, they are so broken. Then they get the urn, and they have closure.”

He said most dead horses are sent to a landfill or a rendering facility in another state, or buried on the farm where they lived. The latter can be difficult unless the owner has large property.

He said the few families he has served so far have said the urn gives them a sense of closure after suffering the loss of a horse.

“It's hard to explain to someone who's never owned a horse,” Ackerman said of equine enthusiasts. “Horse owners are some of the most passionate people out there.”

One of those is Elaine Anderson of Emlenton, whose miniature horse, Blossom, was cremated at Thousand Hills in early May.

Anderson said the seven-year-old mini suffered an intestinal infection that was impossible for veterinarians to treat.

“It was unexpected and very sad,” Anderson said.

She wanted to bring Blossom's remains home to bury on her large farm, but her veterinarian advised against it because of the condition her body would be in after an autopsy.

So Ackerman came to the veterinary clinic to retrieve Blossom. About 10 days later, Anderson received her small oak urn in the mail.

A metal plate on the urn, which Anderson keeps on her mantle, reads “In loving memory of Blossom. May she live in our hearts forever.”

“The vet said Chris said a prayer for Blossom when he arrived to pick her up,” Anderson said. “They were so compassionate and wonderful. They called on me a couple times.”

Anderson said Blossom likely will be moved to her new home in the barn being built on the property.

More information is available at www.thousandhillspetcrematory.com or by calling Chris Ackerman at 724-355-8296.