OklahomaHorses Magazine May 2021

May/June 2021 • OklahomaHorses 25 A horse can live for 25 to 30 years. In that time frame, a human baby can be born and raised with that horse. That same baby will grow into a young person who will cry against its flank when his or her heart is broken and hug the horse’s strong neck when celebrations are in order. That baby, once grown, will eventually introduce a spouse and their own babies to the beloved horse. A horse’s life can be a huge and important part of a family’s life, so when that horse finally crosses The Rainbow Bridge and passes away, many families want the remains to be treated and honored as any other family member would be. However, dealing with a big animal’s remains is much trickier than dealing with a dog or cat’s remains. In many cases, only the horse’s head, heart and hoof are cremated as very few crematoriums are big enough to do the entire animal intact. Precious Pets Cemetery in Spencer is one of very few pet cemeteries that can do full-body cremations on large animals like horses. Estab- lished in 1985, Precious Pets Cemetery is a place where families cremate or bury their beloved animal family members under picturesque trees and shade. An ongoing endowment care fund guarantees that the pet will enjoy an uninter- rupted final resting spot. The cemetery is open for visitation 365 days a year. Now, many household pet owners are turning to Precious Pets Cemetery for cremation services, and horse owners are seeking the same services for their beloved equine family members as well. A BIG HEART FOR BIG ANIMALS Robert Erdman and his mother Linda Mc- Cullough own Precious Pets Cemetery as well as Memorial Gardens in Norman, but the family has been in the cemetery business since 1962. “In the 1980s, my granddad just thought a pet cemetery was a good idea. He started this little pet cemetery, and it just grew and grew and grew from there,” said Erdman. “We have everything out here besides cats and dogs. We have hamsters. A family buried a fish that is something like a catfish, but it lived to be about 17 years old. They did a full burial with the fish on a little pillow and everything.” Cremations and urns are also a popular choice for families who have lost a pet, and Precious Pets started getting calls from horse owners about the services. The cemetery began equine cremations about 20 years ago. “We pride ourselves on doing full-body horse cremation. We have a crematorium that you can actually stand up and walk in,” said Erdman. “A lot of places do what they call the head, heart and hoof, and that’s where your veterinarian gives you the head, heart and the hoof of your horse.” For many horse lovers, the fact that the Precious Pets Cemetery Celebrating the Life of Your Equine Through Cremation Services By Heide Brandes Robert Erdman