Horse Racing Forum - USA Thoroughbred Races

I assumed he was buried at Coolmore Ireland location, but i happened to find an article that his skeleton is at a museum. Anyone verify?

I had never heard or read of this before but its on entirely too many webpages to not be true.

Wow... didnt expect this to still be done today.

In the sorta creepy side, I wonder what happened to the rest of himself and if buried at the farm. He is a L.E.G.E.N.D in the breeding world.

Actually ... his hide is at the farm overlooking the fields

Copied and pasted below.

After his death, his body went for taxidermy. And now he once again looks out over the fields of Coolmore from his viewing point in the Legacy room on the stud farm.

That's unexpected and weird.

I wonder if his hide is like...actually taxidermied in the way that people get fill deer mounts.

Its quite possible they weren't allowed to bury him because of laws.

Edit to add: Ireland horse disposal law:

There are few responsible avenues of disposal of horses when they come to the end of their life.
The animal may be humanely destroyed by a veterinary practitioner and the carcass collected anddisposed of at a Category 2 meat plant (knackery).
It is not permitted under Irish law to bury horse carcasses for environmental reasons so the owner must pay to have the carcass safely disposed of in this manner.

So if a farmer wants to bury his horse full on his property...he can't?

Mylute wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2019 5:42 pm So if a farmer wants to bury his horse full on his property...he can't?

No, no one is allowed to bury their horses in Ireland is what the webpage I just read said. They have to be disposed of by a service, which probably means the animal is going to be slaughtered and used as animal food.

I live in the US and my aunt wasn't allowed to bury her German Shepherd on her property unless the dog was cremated, because of local laws. Because of this, I guarantee there are places in the US that do not allow horses to be buried.

It's really sad to realize that there is no cemetery for all those great mares and stallions that Coolmore has owned over the decades. Any racemares we were fans of, or stallions whose offspring we now follow - all just dogmeat?
No final resting place with a headstone to honor them? Ugh.
This probably helps explain why Ballydoyle rarely announces the passing of a broodmare; having to explain that "famous mare name" was euthanized on Monday and then her carcass was hauled off by the knacker for animal food on Tuesday probably wouldn't go over well on Bloodhorse or Paulick.
Sadler's Wells is a lucky exception, I guess, as his remains have been preserved in ways that are useful and sentimental.

So that means Royal Delta was sent for dog food? That is disgusting to think of and all those other champions they have. Maybe Mr. Besilu had her cremated and sent home to His place in Florida. I hope so.

How is it a negative impact on the environment? They turn into the earth from which they came in the long run. I think this is total crap. Glad I live where I do, we bury cats, dog, chickens and bunnies that have passed away over the years.

Look at all our famous horse burial sites here in Kentucky. At least this state hasn’t lost its marbles.

Horses can’t be buried in Ireland and other European countries because of an EU environmental law. However, there is an equine crematorium, I’m sure that Coolmore make use of that. As an example, I’ve seen Danehill Dancer’s burial spot in Coolmore (he died in 2017), and his ashes have been buried there.

Yea I was gonna say, cremation is not against the law and I’m sure that this is the route Coolmore chooses to take. These people love and care for their horses, there’s no way they would let them be turned into dog food after their passing.

I've seen the Coolmore cemetery at the stud farm in Ireland. I saw Danehill's grave and Montjeu, St. Nicholas Abbey, and George Washington there, among others. It's a gorgeous peaceful place. If I remember correctly, the stud manager told us they can bury the head, heart and hoof as well as cremated remains, but not whole bodies.

When Danehill passed away, they could still bury the full body at that time, and he was buried standing up facing the rising sun, following an old mediaeval tradition.

Thanks for that info, SC. It's good to know that here is a cemetery honoring the great Coolmore horses who have passed over the decades.
Yeah, thinking of Royal Delta or Vertigineux being turned into dog food wasn't pleasant.

I didn't mean they couldn't cremate the horses. Sorry to have not said that when I replied earlier. Its just their only choices are cremation or send to the knacker, or in the case of Sadler's Wells taxidermy.

I understand why they don't allow full horses to be buried. Its one of those tricky subjects where you have to detach yourself from the emotions of it being an animal and think about it from an environmental standpoint. Its not natural for a deceased creature to be buried, it doesn't decompose the way it would if it was a wild animal. The main reason they don't allow it, is it can cause ground water pollution. Even in states like Kentucky, there are strict regulations on where and how horses can be buried.

I would LOVE to see their cemetery. I wonder what would become of Galileo when his time is up.

I dont see a problem with burying a horse, it is not a bad thing since the body gives back to Nature. If euthnaized by chemical, then that CAN be an issue with ground water contamination.

I just find that odd that a horse who dies, including by chemical gets sent to slaughter plant. Doesnt sit right to me.

If they can bury people. Why cant they do with animals? No difference there. Body is body.

FlyToTheStars wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:49 am If they can bury people. Why cant they do with animals? No difference there. Body is body.

Well if you want to go there...
They remove all the bodily fluid and almost always put the coffin into a concrete(or some other material) liner to prevent contamination of ground water. I don't think its feasible to make concrete boxes for horses to be buried in. You also run into the space requirements for a horse vs. a human. Just to be clear I personally think burying bodies is weird, human or otherwise. Cremation is better for the environment. You can still have gravestones.

BaroqueAgain1 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:56 pm It's really sad to realize that there is no cemetery for all those great mares and stallions that Coolmore has owned over the decades. Any racemares we were fans of, or stallions whose offspring we now follow - all just dogmeat?
No final resting place with a headstone to honor them? Ugh.
This probably helps explain why Ballydoyle rarely announces the passing of a broodmare; having to explain that "famous mare name" was euthanized on Monday and then her carcass was hauled off by the knacker for animal food on Tuesday probably wouldn't go over well on Bloodhorse or Paulick.
Sadler's Wells is a lucky exception, I guess, as his remains have been preserved in ways that are useful and sentimental.

If cremation and the spreading of ashes is permitted, then I'm assuming they have a little memorial garden set up on the property. Ashford in America has a graveyard, so that shows the desire to have memorials.

I know a "traditional" burial for racehorses or show horses in general is to bury the legs, head, heart, mane hair, and tail.

legs and hair is a new one for me, just heard head/heart/hooves. i've only ever had small pets, and even though it's a macabre thought it makes their passing a little easier, i can't imagine grieving then having to worry abt laws regarding the body. (yes, i know there's human laws, but that's not nearly as bad)