For World Horse Day on 20 August 2023
Horses have a soul that carries us
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
Every day when I walk through the stable lane, I realise what a small person I am in front of these big horses that look at me curiously in the morning. I feel insignificant and small and until a few years ago, I was also afraid.At some point, I was supposed to learn that this fear of the big, muscular horses with their huge hooves and their power comes from ignorance and incorrect behaviour. Michael Aufhauser said: “I think you want to, but you don’t dare to stroke a horse. Here, in this stable lane, there’s a great horse that can take away your fear if you let it!”. Larry became my “professor”.
Larry
Elegance in the shape of a horse
Larry, an Oldenburg, comes from a large dressage show stable. There he was considered talented,but not very ambitious. When his career was over, Larrywas allowed to stay. He didn’t understandthat the riders usually passed him by to get another horse out of the box. The decision was madeto give Larry a happy life at Gut Aiderbichl,and is still being actively supportedby his former owners. On the day of his arrival, everything was very exciting for him. He turned his attention to the large cold-blooded Krümmel. The two became inseparable friends, until Krümmel, a huge Brabanter with the soul of a kitten passed away. Larry mourned for weeks, and took Hedy, a German riding pony, into his stable. The two have lived inseparably in our A stable, the old stable, for many years.
Bimbo
A Frisian from the circus
Bimbo came from a circus with three other Friesians. There they performed the tricks they had learnt for several years until the circus had to close.
Stallions work in the circus. Before arriving at Gut Aiderbichlthe Friesians were castrated at the veterinary clinic. Bimboshowed very clearly for some time that he wanted absolute peace and quiet. He didn’t want any horses around him either, until one day he fell in love with the ponies Amelie and Mariechen. Both ponies now live in the B stable. As it happens in life – Bimbolooked for eanew girlfriend, her name is Princess.
Paula was only 6 months old
The butcher in Italy was already waiting
Did you know that horses for slaughter spend around 60 hours in a lorry from Poland to France? Many horses cannot endure the long journey, are trampled by the others and die. Among them are young, healthy horses.As fate would have it, the young foal’s path crossed with the founder of Gut Aiderbichl, Michael Aufhauser. The butcher in Italy had already been waiting for Paula. Michael Aufhauser always said: “Try to educate people. Try to feel what a horse suffers when it has to go on the slaughter lorry. If you feel goose bumps and cold during this attempt, then that’s just a small part of how a horse feels. If you can pass this horrible feeling on to people, then perhaps the horse’s final journey to the slaughterhouse will be half a metre shorter. People need to rethink …”. These words have stayed with me for many years. Paula sadly passed away at the age of 24.
The stress in the transporter to the slaughterhouse
Foals are born to die if the breeding standards are not right. If the foal does not meet the ideal, it is a reject. The next step is the auction. Here, the foals are separated from their mothers, the foal now belongs to the livestock dealer and then to the horse slaughterhouse.
How do horses feel when they have a long, agonising journey ahead of them? Numerous studies have shown that being locked up, confined, noises or vibrations cause horses extreme stress. As a result, the immune system is negatively affected, and the physical problems are compounded by psychological problems, severe exhaustion and, in extreme cases, death. Can the legal requirement of 8 hours travelling time on livestock transport help?
It is the anonymity of the animal victims that deafens us to their cries.
~ Luise Rinser
Let yourself be carried away by the soul of a horse.
Yours, Gisela
