The Golden Horse of Austria

Haflingers are often said to be...

...a prince in the front...

...and a peasant behind!

Haflingers originated in Hafling, Austria (now part of Italy). They were bred in Austrian Tyrol. The foundation sire for the breed was a little horse named 249 Folie.  He was crossed with the native mountain pony mares to create a horse that could carry supplies over the Swiss Alps. 

 Haflingers were in high demand during World War II, and as a result, were nearly wiped out.  They were first imported into the United States in the late 1950's.  There are now over 10,000 registered Haflingers in the United States. 

The following is a breed standard taken from http://www.haflingerhorses.com:

Breed standards set by the World Haflinger Federation and the Tyrolean Horse Breeders Association

Appearance and color: Chestnut color in all shades from light to dark with light colored manes and tails.

Height: Between 138 cm. ( 13-2 hands) and 150 cm. (14-3) stick measurement at age 3.

Type: The horse's appearance should be elegant and harmonious, with a refined and expressive head with large eyes, a well shaped mid-section, and a well-shaped croup which must not be too steep or too short. The horse should be well muscled and show correct, clean limbs with well formed clearly defined joints. Breeding stallions should have unmistakable masculine features and brood mares should exhibit undeniable feminine lines and features.

Head: Should be noble and lean and should fit well with the rest of the horse. The eyes should be large and positioned forward. The nostrils should be large and wide. Should have a light poll and correctly positioned ears.

Neck: Should be of medium length and should become narrower towards the head. There should be sufficient freedom through the jowls.

Front-section: Well pronounced withers that reach far into the back, a large sloped shoulder and a deep broad chest.

Back: Medium length, well muscled, and when in motion should combine elasticity, balance and tension.

Mid-section: Well connected to both forehand and hindquarters, with sufficient girth and curved deep ribs.

Hindquarters: A long well muscled croup, slightly sloped and not too much split.

Tail: Not too deeply set.

Legs: Show clear, lean distinct joints, and equal stance on all four feet. Legs should be in a straight line when viewed front or back. From the side the front legs should be straight and hind legs should display an angle of 150 degrees through the hock and an angle of 45-50 degrees through the pastern and hoof to the ground. The knee should be broad and flat and the hocks wide and powerful. Pasterns should be long and well developed and the hooves should be round, distinct and hard.

Movement and basic gaits: Diligent, rhythmic and ground covering gaits. The walk should be relaxed, energetic, and proud and cadenced. The trot and canter should be elastic, energetic, athletic, and cadenced with natural self-carriage and off the forehand as well as balanced with a distinct moment of suspension. The hindquarters should work actively with lots of propulsion. This propulsion should transfer through the elastic back to the free moving shoulder and front legs. A little knee action is desired. Especially the canter should have a very distinct forward-upward motion.

Personality traits and health characteristics: Sound, strong character, a good disposition, sturdy all purpose type, willingness to work, efficient, easy keepers, resistant to disease and easy to acclimate.
 

Our Haflingers, Staunton and Elisa, are two great examples of typical Haflingers.  Elisa was born in Austria, the home of the Haflinger, and as a result, she has the typical Austrian mare head.  She is also a bit more refined, and a deeper shade of palomino. Staunton is much lighter colored, with a typical stallion or gelding head, which shows definite Arabian influence.  He is built stockier, like the original Haflingers bred for the mountains.