Obituary Buddy
A special kind of mate and companion
Buddy’s companions were anger and love. His behaviour showed his feelings and fears, his insecurity made him wild, but time was to help. Buddy’s life was a rollercoaster. At some point, he found a human who saved him from the butcher at the last second.
Buddy’s name means friend, mate and companion. It was precisely these feelings that the Aiderbichler farrier felt when he decided without further ado to save Buddy from the horse slaughterhouse. Dieter Ehrengruber listened to the story and gave Buddy a forever home at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf.
Buddy’s eyes looked at us in agony. He was emaciated. He was so skinny you could have counted his bones. There were no strong muscles under his skin. His eyes looked at us sceptically. Buddy was under 1000 volts and everything upset him. Buddy was terribly angry.
The farrier said: “I would have liked to keep him, but he’s eating me poor …!”. Buddy had not only won the farrier’s heart, but also his wallet. He wanted to eat and eat and eat, and yet he was never full and not an ounce of fat was left on his thin body.
“I work with horses every day. Somehow I can’t get to Buddy. He would probably be in good hands with you.”. So Buddy became an Aiderbichler and from then on lived in the A-Stable in Henndorf.
Buddy challenged our experienced horse girls, who are actually good at dealing with difficult or traumatised animals. He put everyone to the test. Buddy was intolerant and in a bad mood on some days, he showed signs of anxiety … where should we start to help him?
For seven years, we had the chance to get to know Buddy’s soul. At some point, he became calmer, more relaxed and more confident. If only we knew who or what had made Buddy the way he was? Buddy chose his animal and human friends very sensitively. His eyes said to certain horse girls, “Look me in the eye, little one – then you’ll learn what I like and what I don’t like!”. Buddy was and remained a special challenge. Talking calmly and stroking him, but never for too long, allowed Buddy to slowly learn to enjoy himself. However, trust, once gained, was no guarantee. Buddy had probably experienced too much – scepticism remained his companion.
Our Buddy had become an old gentleman at the age of 31. His teeth were getting worse, but he still wanted to eat. Problems with his hooves and other age-related ailments made Buddy tired. One thing was always awake: his eyes. He kept an eye on the carers until the very end and followed everything they did with him.
Buddy was getting weaker and we agreed: he should have experienced enough sufferingin his long equine life. He should at least be able to go his way peacefully and quietly to the Rainbow Bridge. His animal friends and his carers were with him as he slowly closed his eyes and finally relieved himself of the pressure of always having to watch everything. An agitated horse’s soul was now at peace.
The soul of the horse only expresses itself to those who seek it.
– Gustav Rau
Dear Buddy,
You challenged us and at some point your agitated horse soul became calmer and more relaxed. We tried to find out your story through your restless eyes. Your character, your personality were special.
Feel free in the new pastures and find peace. Your special nature will remain in the hearts of the people who were allowed to get to know you. Take care, Buddy!
