Haflinger

About the breed

The Haflinger is a small but sturdy mountain horse from the Tyrol, recognisable by its golden chestnut coat and flaxen mane and tail. It was bred as a pack and work horse for steep Alpine farms, and today it is kept worldwide mainly as a versatile horse for leisure riding and driving. Anyone looking for a calm, willing and thrifty partner often finds one in a Haflinger; anyone who overlooks how easily this breed puts on weight can run into serious health problems.

From the stallion 249 Folie to a world breed

Every Haflinger alive today goes back to a single stallion. The Tyrolean breed society (Haflinger Pferdezuchtverband Tirol) dates the breed to 1874, when the stallion 249 Folie was born in South Tyrol out of a native mountain mare and by the half-bred Oriental stallion 133 El Bedavi XXII. The World Haflinger Breeding and Sports Federation (WHBSF) gives his birthplace as Sluderno (Schluderns in German). The breed takes its name from the village of Hafling (Avelengo in Italian) above Merano: according to the Hafling municipality, the village gave its name to the small mountain horse, and the breed name was officially approved by the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture in a decree of 2 May 1898. In Italy the breed is therefore also called the Avelignese.

The studbook of origin requires every sire line to trace back to Folie through seven line founders: A (Anselmo), B (Bolzano), M (Massimo), N (Nibbio), S (Stelvio), St (Student) and W (Willi). Organised breeding began in 1921 with the founding of the first North Tyrolean breeding society. It began as a light work horse on high mountain farms, carrying food up from the valley and pulling loads on steep fields; once motorisation took over that work, breeders refocused it as a leisure horse. According to the Slovenian Gene Bank, Haflingers are now bred in more than sixty countries, with a world population estimated at close to 300,000 animals.

The Haflinger in Slovenia and Croatia

The Haflinger has a long history in Slovenia. The Slovenian Haflinger breeders' association records that in 1936 two state stallions in the Gorenjska region covered 120 mares, and that a larger number of breeding animals was sold into what was then Yugoslavia in 1955. The association runs the breeding programme and is a member of the world federation founded in 1976 in Ebbs, Tyrol. In Croatia, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, more intensive breeding and revival of the breed began in 2006 with a larger import of breeding stock from other countries.

Height at the withers, weight and build

A Haflinger generally stands 140 to 155 cm at the withers; the Tyrolean society gives this broad range, and the world federation counts it among the small horse breeds. The studbook of origin (followed by the Slovenian Gene Bank) sets a narrower ideal: 143 to 149 cm for mares and 144 to 152 cm for stallions. The Slovenian association lists 140 to 155 cm as the desired height for three-year-old mares, with 138 cm still permitted. Breed societies do not specify a weight. The vet-reviewed PetMD guide puts an adult Haflinger at roughly 360 to 590 kg, and the feed maker Mad Barn gives a similar range; actual weight depends on height, bone and body condition.

The breeding goal describes a noble, harmoniously built horse with a dry, expressive head and large eyes, pronounced withers reaching well into the back, a large sloping shoulder, a medium-length elastic back and a long, well-muscled croup. Particular attention goes to correct legs with clearly defined joints and hard hooves.

Always chestnut, always with a flaxen mane

A Haflinger can only be chestnut, in shades from light to dark. The studbook of origin states that the colour should be rich and clear; scattered white hairs and a dark dorsal stripe are undesirable. A light or white mane and tail are wanted, slightly reddish long hair is tolerated, and red or greyish long hair is not. White face markings are permitted and leg markings are undesirable; the Tyrolean society adds that leg markings are tolerated under World Haflinger Federation rules, in some cases without a points deduction.

Haflinger or Noriker: what is the difference?

A chestnut with a flaxen mane in a field is quickly labelled a Haflinger, although it may just as well be a Noriker or another cold-blooded horse. The Tyrolean society stresses that the Haflinger is not related to cold-blooded horses at all: in its account the breed descends from a small, light, warm-blooded mountain horse, and the Noriker was barely present in the Tyrol because so heavy a horse could not have been fed on small, steep farms. A genomic study published in 2018 by a team from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna paints a more complicated picture. It lists the Noriker among the populations involved in forming the Haflinger and found genetic admixture between the two breeds, stronger in Haflingers from South Tyrol. The Haflinger's male line goes back to a single Arabian stallion, but the ancestry of about 200 founding mares is unknown; the authors suppose that a significant share of them were Noriker mares and note that the Noriker's contribution has not been adequately quantified. The Haflinger breeding goal favours somewhat emphasised riding-horse qualities. Under the studbook-of-origin rules a Haflinger must have four generations of Haflinger ancestry and no more than 1.56% additional Arabian blood.

Temperament: good-natured, but not automatically a horse for everyone

By breeding goal, the Haflinger is good-natured, calm and reliable, with a strong willingness to work. The Tyrolean society looks for a horse with strong nerves, readiness to cooperate and good sociability, and the Slovenian breed description names a nervous temperament and a timid or vicious character as especially undesirable. Selection therefore favours calm animals, but no individual Haflinger is calm by default: schooling, handling, exercise and health all shape behaviour.

For beginners, children and families – with conditions

A Haflinger can suit a beginner, but only if the individual horse is well schooled and calm and the novice rides under an experienced instructor. The WHBSF describes the breed as easy to handle, people-oriented and reliable, and the studbook of origin describes it as a horse for riding and driving of every kind, for children and adults. With children it is worth remembering that even a small horse weighs several hundred kilograms, so children around horses should be supervised by an adult.

Uses: from driving to dressage and therapy

The Haflinger is an all-round leisure riding and driving horse found in almost every equestrian discipline. At the European Haflinger Championships, held every three years, Haflingers compete in dressage, show jumping, driving, eventing and several Western disciplines. The world federation also lists vaulting, long-distance and trail riding, skijoring, trotting and gallop racing, and work as therapy horses. The Slovenian Gene Bank adds that a large share of horses can be trained for equine-assisted activities and therapy.

Feeding: an easy keeper needs restraint

The key rule in feeding a Haflinger is not to overfeed it. The world federation calls it a true easy-keeper breed with an efficient metabolism that often needs less energy than other horses, so a suitable feeding regime is essential to prevent excess weight. The diet should be built on forage: the DEFRA Code of Practice for the welfare of horses recommends almost constant access to forage such as grass, hay or haylage during non-exercise hours. For horses prone to excessive weight gain, the same code notes that grazing may need to be restricted at certain times of the year.

Concentrates are only for a Haflinger that genuinely burns them through work, and clean, fresh water must always be available. There are no universal quantities: the ration has to match the weight, condition and workload of the individual horse and be checked regularly by body condition scoring.

Exercise, turnout and equine company

A Haflinger needs daily exercise and the company of other horses. The DEFRA code states that horses are herd animals that would live in relatively stable social groups in the wild, that they should be able to socialise with their own species, and that isolating a horse from other horses can have a negative psychological impact. All stabled horses, apart from those on box rest for veterinary reasons, benefit from daily turnout where they can graze and socialise.

Care: hooves, teeth and that thick mane

The thick mane and tail need detangling, the coat should be groomed before and after riding, and the hooves picked out and checked every day. The DEFRA code says hooves should be trimmed or re-shod as advised by the farrier, usually every 4 to 8 weeks, and horses ridden or driven on roads or hard, rough surfaces will mostly need shoes. Teeth should be checked by a vet or qualified equine dental technician at least once a year. Plan vaccinations and parasite control with your vet: the DEFRA code recommends a vaccination programme agreed with a vet and, for worms, faecal egg counts with wormers used only when necessary.

Health and lifespan

The Haflinger is regarded as a hardy, long-lived horse: the world federation says a life expectancy of 25 to over 30 years is not uncommon, and the vet-reviewed PetMD guide gives 25 to 30 years. An important health risk is linked to its thriftiness. The DEFRA code states that obesity and over-eating remain major factors in laminitis, and that being overweight for a long time may lead to hormonal disease such as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), which can also predispose horses to laminitis. The Merck Veterinary Manual advises that preventing EMS should focus on an adequate diet and maintaining normal body weight.

The GYS1 mutation that causes type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM1), a metabolic muscle disease, also occurs in the breed. In a study from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 9 of 50 healthy Austrian Haflingers carried one copy of the mutation, an estimated prevalence of 18% in that herd; none carried two copies. The mutation can be detected with a genetic test, and whether to test is best discussed with your vet and the breeder.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of the equine eye, and a higher incidence has been documented in Haflingers. Researchers at the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory of the University of California, Davis identified a recessive variant of the DDB2 gene as a risk factor in the breed for tumours at the edge of the cornea and on the third eyelid. They concluded that a genetic test for this variant is useful both for the veterinary management of a horse and for mating decisions; as with PSSM1, testing is best discussed with your vet.

Who the Haflinger suits – and who it suits less

The Haflinger is a good choice for a leisure rider, a family or a driving enthusiast looking for a calm, reliable and versatile smaller horse, provided they can offer daily turnout, equine company and controlled feeding. It suits less well anyone who cannot exercise the horse regularly or restrict its grazing. When buying, check the pedigree, schooling and health of the individual horse. Since weight monitoring matters so much with a Haflinger, it is worth keeping records of vaccinations, farrier and dental visits and body condition.

Pros & cons