OklahomaHorses Magazine May 2021

26 OklahomaHorses • May/June 2021 horse’s body remains intact is an important part of the grieving process, Erdman said. “People who lose a horse have a different kind of grief a lot of times. It’s not more or less grief than for a smaller animal, but a lot of times, these horses are 25 to 30 years old,” he said. As a member of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories, Precious Pets is the only facility in all of Oklahoma that has been accredited by them. “They came out and did a ‘White Glove’ procedure of our whole facility and with our policies and procedures,” Erdman said. “We have a reputation behind us, and we do what we say we’re going to do.” After the cremation, the cremains are placed into a casket designed for horse cremains to either be taken home or buried at the cemetery. The cemetery has a special plot called “Last Corral” where horse ashes can be buried. Precious Pets also retrieves the remains of horses. When a customer calls, they are able to go to all corners of the state and even into Ar- kansas to pick up the body of a deceased horse. “We do five to 10 horse cremations a month,” said Erdman. “We’ve also done other large ani- mals, like a prized longhorn steer, and some of the big animals from zoos, like a Tibetan ox.” The Last Corral even has the cremated re- mains of a camel buried on-site. “What’s become really popular is taking some of the horse’s cremains and putting it inside a glass sculpture,” Erdman said. “On all the pets we do, we make prints of the dog or cat paws in clay. About a year ago, someone started asking us if we could do horse prints, so we started doing horse prints in clay as well.” For horse owners who want to keep the re- mains of their horse intact after death, Precious Pets Cemetery is one of the few places that process can happen. “Most of our customers come from word of mouth and referrals,” Erdman said. “We also do pre-planning for services so customers don’t have to make these big decisions after a death.” For more information about equine crema- tion services, call Precious Pets Cemetery at (405) 771-5510.