Obituary Allgero and Maurice
ALLGERO moved from the circus to paradise
MAURICE, once a "devil's stallion", became a tame horse
Allgero was part of a circus act that included six Arabian stallions before he found his home at Gut Aiderbichl in 2011. He turned 21 years old with us. A few weeks ago, the curtain fell for good: not on a stage, but on the pasture at Gut Aiderbichl in France, which he had enjoyed for many years.
Michael Aufhauser had been in contact with the circus for a long time and when the circus management was no longer able to present the horse dressage act for health reasons, Gut Aiderbichl bought Allgero and his friends free.
From the circus tent to the canopy of Gut Aiderbichl
For Allgero, life in the circus meant eight years of standing in a box in the show tent. He and the other five stallions were led into the circus tent day after day with tight tethers and colourful bushes on their heads to present their trained act.Allgero was not used to running and playing with each other in a pasture. Stallion rearing is a difficult endeavour and the animals are far from happy here. But everything was about to change.
Allgero enjoyed the end of the Liberty circus act
Liberty dressage is a dressage act without a rider on the horse’s back. However, such a dressage act has nothing to do with freedom – liberty. Perhaps dressage is nice to look at? How does the horse feel that is supposed to make the audience applaud with its dressage act? Does a horse in the circus like to walk in the ring, does it like it when its front legs are raised and a pony walks under its belly? Does the proud horse like to have colourful feathers on its head and back? Or does the horse prefer a free life, as Allgero was then able to lead at Gut Aiderbichl in France?
Gut Aiderbichl France became a paradise for Allgero
It took some time before the six stallions, who were used to living in isolated boxes, dared to go out to pasture. Allgero quickly forgot the hustle and bustle of the circus and enjoyed the freedom of the spacious country estate in France.
Sometimes Allgero and his five companions told us about life in the circus: with their marvellous body language, they showed us fragments of the former circus act. As if Allgero wanted to tell us: look, that was my work, but here, with all my fellow horses in the big pasture without feathers, without a whip and without applause – here I am a happy, free horse.
Unfortunately, Allgero passed away due to his cancer. He was not alone, as many of his horse friends sensed that Allgero was coming to an end. They and all the keepers accompanied Allgero to the stairs that took him to the large pasture above the Rainbow Bridge. Allgero lay down quietly and closed his dark eyes forever. The curtain had fallen, nobody applauded, but everyone cried after him. Goodbye, dear Allgero.
Haflinger Maurice taught people to be afraid
Unlike Allgero, Maurice was not elegant and gentle, but was considered a “devil’s stallion”. What had Maurice experienced that had made him so evil, what did he want revenge for?
Even a patient horse whisperer threw in the towel and said that Maurice was unpredictable and dangerous. But kind-hearted animal welfare activists found out about him and saved Maurice from the slaughterhouse.
What had made the former stallion Maurice so vicious and wild? We will never know, everything remained in the dark. If Gut Aiderbichl hadn’t taken Maurice in, he would have gone to the horse slaughterhouse, that was certain.
The wild Maurice became a tame Haflinger
We had promised Maurice that he would remain an Aiderbichler. The animal carer respected his anger and let him run riot. She talked to him, very quietly, so that only Maurice’s ears could hear what she was saying. After a few days at Gut Aiderbichl, he no longer put his ears back, but they were sticking up normally. He would have had many opportunities to kick and bite the animal keeper: he did not. As a twenty-year-old Haflinger, he became an Aiderbichler and spent ten years here. Maurice enjoyed the exercise, love and care of his humans and perhaps he wanted to thank us for saving him from slaughter many years ago?
Maurice's death notice was full of loving words
(…) Maurice had ten wonderful, pain-free years. At the age of thirty, he still loved the paddock. Unfortunately, the cancer was stronger than Maurice (…) – these were the last words of his animal carer.
All the best, Maurice. The former devil stallion had turned into an angel – a big thank you to his keeper, who made him calm and serene with her love.
Horses show us what it’s like to be loved unconditionally.
By: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
