Everyone loves a relaxing walk around the town once in a while. I personally get cabin fever when I stay inside my home all day. There is nothing more relaxing than exercising, breathing out in the fresh air. This way you even have the chance to meet your friends or other people along the way. We have seen cats and dogs who are known to stroll around and get a little loose, but we bet that no one would have imagined that in Frankfurt, Germany’s Fechenheim district, locals there have become familiar to an unusual kind of ‘outdoor pet’ – an Arabian mare whose name is Jenny.
The beautiful Arabian mare travels every day from her home on the same route from the rural places in Frankfurt to the city center. She stretches her legs and greets her fellow citizens and is so incredible that she even knows how to wait for crossing lights. Jenny is very kind to every animal or person she meets. For the people who are not familiar with the horse, she wears a card that states: “I’m called Jenny, not a runaway, just taking a walk. Thanks.
When she gets tired, she just hops on the tram! The only damage she does is nibbling bushes here and there, but the citizens of Frankfurt don’t mind because Jenny has become a celebrity in their city. The 22-year-old mare has been going on these walks alone for the past 14-years, because her owner, a 79-year-old man named Werner Weischedel can no longer ride her. He loves her so much but isn’t capable of physically riding her anymore. As the years passed by, he didn’t want to let her go, but he knew she still needed to exercise.
Werner and his wife, Anna, used to have their own little “caravan” as they called it: two people, two horses, and two German Shepherds that would paint the town red together. We used to have a second mare, Charlie, and a second white shepherd. There we went as a white caravan through Fechenheim. Almost 15 years.” -said Weischedel. Sadly, this beautiful ”caravan” came to an end. After the other horse and one of the dogs passed, Jenny spent a lot of time in her stable or just by herself out in the pasture.
You could see in her eyes that she wasn’t happy. For this reason, Jenny escaped but fortunately, she didn’t get too far. Werner said that he wasn’t very worried regardless because he knew she was familiar with the city. Although he tried to keep her inside from not escaping he kept failing over and over. Eventually, he just accepted the fact that Jenny wanted to be free and decided to let her go. Now, she makes her walk up to 8 times a day before returning home in between to enjoy lunch.
According to her owner, she has a clock in her belly and knows exactly when there is food ready at home. There have also been several concerns regarding her health and safety, as well as the safety of people that cross her path. Many people are afraid that maybe she will bite or kick someone. Their posts on social media criticize Jenny’s freedom and call it negligence for her safety, but the local police station declared that they are well-aware of the situation because they have received many calls about this horse.
Everything is under control because Jenny’s owner communicates very often with the police to make sure both Jenny and the other citizens are safe. Apart from that Jenny’s veterinarian Maren Hellige also has told anyone who is concerned that Jenny is very healthy and that she seems “very relaxed and satisfied.” According to the local police, there hasn’t been a single incidence recorded in all her 14-years of walks. As we can see there is nothing to worry about.
This wonderful mare is enjoying her life to the fullest, and anyone who tries to keep her locked inside would only cause the death of her. She now has friends who protect her everywhere, even at the tram station. We are very happy that she has found the perfect balance between her life with her owner, who waits for her every day and prepares all of her meals and life as a wanderer horse which made her a celebrity not only in Frankfurt but also all around the world. It is still unclear how long Jenny can continue to wander the streets but one thing we know for sure, she’s having the time of her life right now.
