Environment watchdog investigates unlicensed horse burial pit in Victoria's south west

When the thoroughbred racehorse Anthony Van Dyck died at the 2020 Melbourne Cup, the stallion's final journey was along a desolate two-lane highway to a crematorium most have never heard of.

The Bamganie Pet Cremation Service, located at Lethbridge, 100 kilometres west of Melbourne, says it offers "compassionate, respectful and quality end of life care" for pets and large animals.

Its industrial incinerator emits black smoke from a chimney at the end of a tree-lined avenue.

Hundreds of horses end up here, but not all are cremated.

For a much smaller fee, the company provides a "shared burial service", whereby animals, including horses, are "laid to rest" in a mass burial pit at the edge of a paddock.

They call themselves a "pet cemetery".

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Article written by: Emma Field, Andy Burns and Charlotte King for ABC Regional Investigations