When Jenny’s owner got too old to ride her, he decided to let her walk their 12-mile route alone so she wouldn’t get depressed in her stable. Locals pet her and feed her treats along the way.
By now most locals know Jenny by name, but are still startled when they see the unmanned horse trotting past them on city sidewalks.
Jenny has been walking the same 12-mile route through Frankfurt, Germany for 14 years, all by herself.
Her owner Werner Weischedel used to walk it with her – along with his wife Anna and her horse – until he got too old to ride.
After Weischedel’s wife’s horse died, Jenny spent a lot of time in her stable and grazing their field alone. Weischedel could tell she wasn’t happy and needed more exercise and adventure.
After several escape attempts, he decided to leave the gates open and let her roam free.
“What can I do?” 80-year-old Weischedel says. “She’s a strong-willed, independent lady.”
Ever since Jenny’s been walking the same route she always did, sometimes several times a day, coming home for lunch and dinner.
She’s become something of a celebrity in Frankfort, with many friends petting, feeding and even cleaning up after her along her path.
Every once in a while the local police receive a call by someone thinking she’s lost, but now she wears a tag that reads “My name is Jenny, I didn’t run away, I’m just going for a walk.”
The extremely intelligent horse “knows how to wait for crossing lights and is incredibly gentle with every animal or person she meets,” HonestToPaws.com reports.
In all her years on the road, she’s never hurt anyone or caused any trouble, aside from nibbling on a rose bush here and there.
