Will the animals of the Weidachsmühle soon be homeless?

Kempten - The Weidachsmühle has a heart for horses.

But the riding school and the 13 sanctuary horses are in danger.

The toothless Gragentinus, the hard-working Grappa, the spirited Havana: when Christiane Schudo and Christian Kraft talk about their horses, their eyes light up and the stories gush out of them. Schudo and Kraft run the sanctuary and the Weidachsmühle riding school near Stielings. "Happy horses' hearts" and "Healing horses" are the mottos that they use to run the farm for veteran horse personalities. But luck is currently in jeopardy. The lease for the historic Weidachsmühle was terminated. Now the two of them are looking for a nearby farm where they can continue to look after their animals.

"Actually, we had only planned to keep our riding school horses and give them a good evening," reports Christian Kraft.

He is sitting in a dusky wood-paneled room in the Weidachsmühle, outside the autumn sky is overcast and the first yellow leaves swirl across the courtyard.

“But when people hear that there is something like that, then inquiries come from outside about places.” In 2013 Christiane Schudo and Christian Kraft opened their “horse shelter”.

In the meantime, 13 horses from the sanctuary live in the Weidachsmühle, seven school horses and a few horses that are rented and cared for on the farm and whose owners come to ride.

While Schudo and Kraft take care of the animals in the morning, riding lessons are on the program in the afternoon.

The horse management master and the riding instructor, who is also an animal therapist, look after around 80 riding students.

The school operation helps to finance the "senior citizens" a good old age.

"Independent personalities"

“If a sanctuary horse wants and is able to do so, it also works in the riding school,” says Christian Kraft.

For example Grappa, a disused dressage horse that went up to Grand Prix Special and has since passed away.

Adults could no longer ride him because of osteoarthritis and a soft back.

But Grappa “was a gigantic child's horse on the lunge.

He wanted to work and was proud when he was responsible for children, ”recalls Kraft.

Among the “highly talented” horses in the tournament there are some “who can take it and some don't”.

Then they would usually be sold to dealers and then possibly still be riding school horses.

Just like in the Weidachsmühle.

More than just riding

Christiane Schudo teaches most of the students.

It is important to her to give them empathy for the animals: “It's not just the fun of riding.

The horse also has needs and sometimes no desire. ”And the children should develop an understanding for the veteran horses.

"Even when the active life is over, the horses have a right to life and joie de vivre," says Kraft emphatically.

Like Gragentinus, who was lively and cheerful right up to the end, but also very “headstrong and always good for a bump”, says Schudo and Kraft laughs: “For the last five years he has had no teeth and has soaked cobs and a special muesli. ”Nevertheless,“ Gragi ”always liked to play and romp around.

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Although Gragentinus had many health problems, he was cheerful until the end.

He had a very special relationship with Christiane Schudo.

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Schudo and Kraft would like to give even more animals a nice pension.

But now the future of the court is uncertain.

“It has been clear since March / April that our project will no longer be able to be carried out at this location,” say the two of them in a depressed mood.

End of the idyll?

That is why they are looking for a property where they can continue their farm.

It is important that the farm is nearby, "because we have to move with a large part of the riding students and employees."

“It's a grown story that is difficult to transplant far away,” says Kraft.

Five hectares of pasture and the possibility of building a riding arena are also necessary.

It would of course be ideal if there was already a riding arena.

So far the search has brought few results.

But Christiane Schudo and Christian Kraft are not giving up yet.

They are happy to accept advice and look forward to offers.

More information and contact to the “Weidachsmühle” can be found on the Internet at www.weidachsmühle.de

Also read: Lenzfried and his story