Farewell to our beloved Felix
We will miss you!
Felix has gone over the Rainbow Bridge
"If you seek me, seek me in your hearts.
If I have found a dwelling place there, I am always with you".
(Antoine de Saint Exupéry)
Felix was the first foal born at Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf in 2001.
He arrived at Gut Aiderbichl in the belly of his mum Litza, a former successful racehorse.
Litza had brought her owner a lot of money, but at some point her strength waned and her career as a racehorse was over. Now she was to give birth to healthy foals. She did not record and the owner sold her at the price per kilo. She was already on the slaughter transporter when animal lovers became aware of her and made efforts to ensure that Litza could live on at Gut Aiderbichl.
What a surprise when it was discovered that Litza was already pregnant after all. In March 2001 Felix, the lucky one, was born.
Felix loved his mother more than anything. He lived with her in a large box in the stable alley. On the day his mother died, Felix was deeply sad and let us all feel his grief. It was as if he had given up on himself and he fell into a deep, sad hole. Our love and care slowly brought him back. Lori, Hilde, Franz and Fee became his best friends.
The last few years, everyone fell in love with this beautiful horse with the white heart on his forehead. Felix was a very sensitive, delicate horse. He comforted, gave strength and also let people learn what horses like: namely respect, lots of petting, stroking the nostrils, stroking under the eyes and also behind the ears.
He enjoyed the sun whenever possible. Then he closed his eyes and just looked happy and content all the time.
Unfortunately, his hooves were not healthy and again the farrier had to do his best to ease Felix's pain. Felix was always a patient, well-behaved patient and bravely put up his hooves for the treatments.
In the last few weeks, we increasingly noticed that his pain was no longer bearable. And more and more we began to fear the day when we would have to close our hearts a little and let reason take over. The animal must not suffer because the human being does not want to let go. The animals live with us, surrounded by all our love and care. And if we really love them, we must unfortunately let them go to die in due course. Letting go when there is no more hope.
On the evening of the 31st of July 2021, Felix slowly and peacefully went over the Rainbow Bridge to his mum Litza. The two are now reunited and Felix no longer has to suffer. That is the comfort that remains for the people who loved Felix so much.
Heartfelt last words are also spoken by our Eva, who had a very special relationship with our Felix as head of the animal keepers:
"Dear Felix,
You were the first horse at Gut Aiderbichl that put its trust in me. You loved it when we spent time with you. When we were grooming you could completely let yourself go and just enjoyed having us around you. We noticed how much you enjoyed spending time with your friends Franz, Fee, Hilde and Lori in the pasture. It was always nice to see how relaxed you were when you rested. Your head was resting on the box, but you still looked curiously in the direction of the stable alley to make sure you didn't miss anything.
Despite your serious illness and the many vet visits you were always well-behaved and trusted us in everything. Until a few weeks ago, you showed us clearly that the pain was just too much for you despite all the love and treatment. You couldn't almost put any weight on your left front hoof and it was as if we could feel how you were feeling. The vet was called immediately and together with the farrier we tried everything to help you and make the pain more bearable. But the results of your examinations and the x-rays showed a severe hoof abscess. Nevertheless, you were always well-behaved during the medication, the hoof dressing changes and the daily veterinary checks and you simply trusted us.
We really tried everything to take away your pain, but it became more and more. Your strength was waning, your appetite was getting less and less. We knew that the time had come for us to let you go. This decision was terrible for the animal keepers and we hoped until the end that you would still recover from it. Friday, later in the evening, I was allowed to accompany you on your last journey.
❤️ We miss you as much as your horse friends ❤️
Your Eva and all the keepers".
