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What happens to horses / pets after they die? | Trisha Wren

Have you ever wondered what animals think about the circumstances of their death, and what happens to horses and pets after they die?

I regularly get Animal Communication bookings from distraught owners who have either recently had to say goodbye to a beloved companion, or are facing making that difficult choice.

The most common questions that owners have around this time are:

  • Did he suffer (or, is he in pain)?
  • Does he blame me?
  • Could I have done anything to prevent the outcome?
  • Was it my fault?
  • Is it time, or does he want to carry on?
  • How will I know when it’s time?
  • Does he have any messages for me?
  • Is he still in pain?
  • Where is he now?

There are 3 main times that owners have questions relating to what happens to their horses and pets after they die.

1. They’re getting older, and perhaps more infirm, or seem to be in more pain lately

An Animal Communication session can certainly help to clarify things for you when your horse or pet is getting older. As well as finding out how much pain or discomfort they’re in, it’s also a way to get their own opinions about how they’re feeling and whether they want to carry on or not. It’s also a really useful means of explaining things to them, eg why you’re making the decisions you are. I’ve found that they are much more accepting and peaceful when they know what to expect, and why.

2. Preparation for end of life

If the decision for euthanasia has been made, it can make a big difference to prepare the animal for it in advance. Whether it’s you verbally explaining things to them, or it’s done via an Animal Communication session, it gets you both on the same page about what’s coming up and why. In my sessions I also do additional energetic work to prepare them and ensure that everything goes smoothly.

3. After they’re gone

Whether they died in an accident, ‘naturally’, or were put to sleep, many owners still have questions after the fact. It can help us understand what happened and deal with our grief – and any guilt, remorse etc – to get some clarification from the animal afterwards about what happened and why.

rainbow bridge horse grief
Further reading on how to handle grief…

So, what happens to them once they’ve passed over?

I’d like to share a bit more about the process of what happens to horses and pets after they die, in my experience, and what sorts of information you can expect from your pet at each.

The ideal outcome, after death, is that your horse or pet will cross straight over the Rainbow Bridge.

However, for some that doesn’t happen immediately, meaning that they are held, or stuck, in a kind of limbo.

What happens in ‘Limbo’

In that ‘limbo’ place, they tend to have a lack of understanding of what happened to them. They might be stuck in the fear or pain of their final moments, and unable to realise that actually, since they’ve passed over, there is no pain any more, or any reason to feel fear.

If they’re still in that place when I connect to them, I can likely get information from them about what happened to them, and why.

I can then reassure them about where they are now, so that they can let any negative emotions or pain go.

Finally, I can then help them to look for, and cross, the Rainbow bridge.

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Once they’ve fully passed over, there’s no longer any pain or any negative emotions. They feel very calm and serene, surrounded by love and happiness. They tend to either not be able to remember the circumstances of their death, or have no interest in revisiting that. The past is the past to them, and they’re very accepting of it. There’s no animosity or recrimination, no blame setting.

So, if I connect with an animal who is at this stage there tends to be less information available, because it’s no longer relevant to them. However, I can certainly ask your questions and see what they want to share.

It seems to me that the reason we ask so many questions about our horses or pets at the end of (or after) their life is more because we’re still here…. we’re still here in this lifetime without them, grieving and missing them. We’re still here with the memories of their decline, or how they died, and dealing with any decisions we made around that.

I hope I’ve given you some comfort, that

  • You can give them some say in whether they’re ready to go or not, and when;
  • An Animal Communication session can prepare them for what’s to come, and ensure it goes smoothly for all; and,
  • The types of information you can expect to get after your horse or pet once they’ve passed over.

Do let me know in the comments.

Grab my free ‘End of Life Checklist’ (6 page pdf) here, to help you plan and be prepared.

Keep connecting with your horses and pets,

Trisha x

If you’re interested in delving deeper and getting all your burning questions answered, you can book an Animal Communication session here.


About Trisha

Trisha Wren has been an equine professional for most of her adult life.  She rode, competed, and taught Western Riding for 15 years in Scotland, then taught horse and rider bio-mechanics in New Zealand and Australia for 10 years.  She’s been a full time horse and animal communicator since April 2016. Find out more about Trisha here and sign up for her self paced Animal Communication course here.