Obituary horse Bimbo
A difficult path back to life
Sky tent instead of circus tent – when Bimbo was admitted to Gut Aiderbichl together with other Friesians in 2015, he showed us right from the start that he had nothing against swapping the circus tent for the wide, open sky of nature.
Bimbo and three other Friesians were part of a big circus act. However, when the circus got into financial difficulties, the ringmaster asked Gut Aiderbichl for help. Unfortunately, Bimbo’s time in the circus had been very traumatising. At Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf, he initially refused to be integrated into any herd. He preferred to be alone, which is very unusual for a herd animal.
Bimbo first had to find his way back to life
He had lived and worked with stallions in the circus. The mane crest of a stallion is supposedly more attractive than that of a gelding and the charisma of a stallion in the circus ring is different to that of a gelding. The stallions lived together in separate boxes and until the day they were castrated there were always arguments between the horses.
On his arrival, Bimbo was nervous and his eyes signalled “Just leave me alone!”. Socialising with a small group of horses on the estate was out of the question. Bimbo wanted peace and quiet and he was going to get it. There was an empty stable behind the large hall. The box was large and no one except the animal keepers came there. It took some time for Bimbo to realise that he was now ready for the big pastures.
And why should it be any different for animals than for humans?
Bimbo fell in love
Bimbo seemed to enjoy the first warm rays of sunshine. Even though he was still sceptical about his fellow dogs, something special seemed to be developing. Bimbo fell in love. The ponies Mariechen and her mum Amelie won his heart. Not quickly, it took a while, but they won him over and Bimbo even went so far as to want the two little ponies in his stable. He no longer lived in isolation, but accepted the move with his two girls into the beautiful stable lane at the estate in Henndorf.
Bimbo was aware of his beauty and grace
Bimbo had become self-confident again and, after years, learnt to like not only the small horses but also the big ones. After a few years of spending time together with Amelie and Mariechen, he found himself a new friend, the pony Princess, who was taller in stature than her predecessors Mariechen and Amelie.
Our Bimbo was a real splendour and he knew it. He loved to stand in the sun and let himself be stroked and felt when a person was looking for him. He stood still, closed his eyes and savoured the moments of affection with people who sought it from him.
We lost our beloved Bimbo at the age of 26
Everything happened so quickly and we still can’t believe that Bimbo has gone over the Rainbow Bridge. Suddenly he was suffering from shortness of breath, had a high temperature and his appetite was diminishing. The vet gave him the best medication and we hoped that we wouldn’t lose Bimbo.
Unfortunately, there was no improvement in his state of health. Nothing helped and Bimbo showed us, similar to when we took him in: “Please let me go. I want to go over the Rainbow Bridge”. He closed his eyes peacefully, took his last breath and slipped into eternal sleep.
Bimbo had died of leukaemia and there were metastases all over his body. He left behind sad, crying and stunned animal carers who were by his side until the end.
A cycle of love and death characterises the lives of those who travel in the company of animals.
– Suzanne Clothier, dog trainer
Dear Bimbo,
you have started your journey over the Rainbow Bridge. You were such a beautiful and proud Friesian who was rescued from the circus years ago. Somehow we always had the feeling that you continued to play your circus role: you really enjoyed being admired and loved. With your loving, calm character, you touched many people’s hearts and will remain unforgotten.
Now gallop with your former circus colleagues across the wide meadows and clouds in horse heaven.
We here – the humans and your fellow horses – will miss you until we meet again at the place where you have now arrived. Take care, dear Bimbo.Your keepers
From: Gisela Pschenitschnig, Gut Aiderbichl
