Horse Illustrated Magazine

Losing a horse is never easy. Whether because of old age or a sudden illness, the pain is sharp and real. If you’re looking for a way to memorialize your own horse or offer a thoughtful gift to a grieving friend, there are a plethora of options available.

Wear Your Love
Created to honor your horse’s life, each custom pendant, bracelet or cufflink will help you remember your beloved horse or pony every time you wear it. Reliquary pieces are also available, featuring your horse on the front with a place to hold a few strands of tail, a piece of halter, a scrap of prized ribbon or other beloved memento on the reverse of his image.
www.elmharris.com

Night Watch
A night light featuring a favorite picture of your horse will help bring you sweet dreams.
lightaffection.com

Personalized Statue
A beautiful piece of art, these pieces incorporate your horse’s hair or ashes into a custom-painted sculpture.
myhorseart.com

Whimsical Wineglass
Raise a toast to your beloved horse with a wineglass painted in his likeness.
www.thehorsesglass.com

Horsey Heirloom
Unique to your horse, a horse show ribbon pillow celebrates the successes the two of you had in the show ring. The ribbons are not cut into small pieces to ensure you can read streamers and take a walk down memory lane.
www.distinctivedesignsbydiana.com

Stay Warm
Have a favorite pic of you and your pony? Blow it up and have it placed on a throw blanket. You’ll warm your feet and your heart every time you curl up with it.
www.snapfish.com

Step to It
Remember your horse every time you walk to the garden or the barn with a personalized stepping stone.
www.engravedstone.net

Make Your Own Memorial

If you’d prefer to create a memorial to your horse, the options are truly endless. You can create a bracelet from his tail hair or make a shadow box that might include ribbons, a halter, photos or other items that make you think of him.

If you happen to have old horse shoes, why not try finding a welder who can create something lasting from them, like a wine or boot rack? If you have a shoe and Plaster of Paris, you could also make an imprint of his shoe to keep.

Pay it Forward

You can also find closure in the intangibles. Was your horse a specific breed or did you get him from a rescue or adoption agency? Consider making a monetary donation to an equine organization that was important to you because of him. Also helpful to most equine rescues and adoption agencies is the donation of items. Do you have items from your horse that you would like to see put to good use? Items like brushes, blankets and grooming products are always needed.

Helping clean up or otherwise care for a park of other place where you and your horse spent time is a wonderful way of honoring him while giving nothing but your time.

No matter what you do to remember your horse, loss is never easy. Don’t be afraid to lean on family and friends during this time—they should understand how important your horses are to you. Online forums might also be a good way to work through your grief, allowing you access to others who have gone through similar experiences.

Liked this article? Here are others on coping with the loss of a horse:
A Final Farewell
End of Life Options for Equines