Leonhard Huber from Walpertskirchen looks after four racing oxen that run a maximum of four races a year. "Training is walking - like taking a dog for a walk, just that the dog weighs a ton," he says.
Walpertskirchen / Fleck– At Pentecost, people remember the old custom of walking through town with a beautifully decorated ox. In the idyllic village of Fleck behind Pemmering, 25-year-old Leonhard Huber from Walpertskirchen can be seen walking much more often with one of his oxen - this also has to do with customs in a broader sense. The budding agricultural master trains his racing oxen there.
The oxen are called Maxl, Franz, Moritz and Seppi
His mother Roswitha comes from the estate in Fleck. Son Leonhard reactivated agriculture there as a sideline. In his main job, Huber works on the teaching and experimental property of the Ludwigs Maximilians University in Oberschleissheim, where he is responsible for the cattle area and feeding.
The man from Walpertskirchen looks after his four oxen Maxl, Franz, Moritz and Seppi in Fleck, who have an open stable with straw as litter, graze on a large pasture at all times, lie in the shade of the trees and can frolic in the meadow. The four and a half year old, milk coffee brown Franz is even a regional celebrity because he won the ox race in Walpertskirchen in 2018 when the Schützenverein Freischütz and the Burschenverein celebrated their club double anniversary (we reported). Huber knows the somewhat older Maxl from birth. "It is a great pleasure to see such an animal grow up," he says.
"My oxen have already had twice the life with me"
As a rule, oxen are slaughtered at 24 or 25 months, reports Leonhard Huber, whose father is Christian Metzgermeister and who runs a grocery store in Walpertskirchen with his wife Roswitha, which includes an in-house slaughter. "My oxen have already had twice the life with me," says Leonhard Huber. This applies to Maxl and Franz. The two-year-old Moritz and the one-year-old Seppi are also supposed to run races later.
And how do you train oxen? "Training is walking - like taking a dog for a walk, only that the dog weighs a ton," says the Walpertskirchener with a smile. The most important thing is to deal with the animals, to make them tame by hand, to slowly get them used to weight on their backs and not to overwhelm them. You have to be very patient with each individual animal.
The oxen should run a maximum of four races a year
"The big one is the most cozy," says Leonhard Huber. Maxl followed so well that he had no nose ring. The other three oxen do, but only as "protection and emergency brake" to be able to tame the heavy animals at any time. A large cold-blood halter is put on them during the walk.
The oxen are said to run a maximum of four races a year, although the corona crisis has initially thwarted these plans. "I am missing a few thousand euros as a result," the part-time farmer sums up with a view to the unusual major events.
But Huber not only trains his racing oxen, for which he receives entry fee for participation, he also sells hay. Not much is stuck in these activities, but he enjoys the work.
Strict requirements and veterinary examinations
The 25-year-old explains that there are strict requirements and preliminary veterinary examinations for the races. The animals would have to be in top shape to be able to start, would only be motivated to run with the reward principle, well supplied with food and water. Breaks between the individual starts would also be followed conscientiously.
His oxen are a matter close to the heart, says Leonhard Huber. They listen to him when he calls them, get petted, beg for coveted treats - in this case old bread and rolls. And how long can oxen live? "As long as they stay good and have fun racing," says Huber. At some point, however, they will also follow the path of the meat. Until then, according to their owner's wishes, they should have a beautiful, free and appropriate life.
Vroni bird
