Haflinger

The Haflinger is a compact, small-framed horse bred in the mountains of the Tyrol, a region that spans Austria and northern Italy. All Haflingers are chestnut. The body colour runs anywhere from a light gold to a deep liver shade, and the mane and tail are always a pale flaxen. Because the colouring is fixed, the breed is one of the easiest to pick out at a show or on a yard.

Height falls between roughly 13.2 and 15 hands, so the Haflinger sits at the top of the pony bracket and the bottom of the horse bracket. Size aside, it is a muscular animal, strong enough to carry an adult rider or pull a cart. That build comes from generations of work on steep alpine ground, where a sure step and staying power counted for more than pace.

Haflingers are known as friendly, gentle and level-headed. In South Africa and elsewhere they are ridden in dressage, taken out on outrides, driven in harness, used for vaulting and put to light farm work. Riding schools and therapeutic riding programmes favour them for the same steady manner.

Who the Haflinger suits

This is a horse for the owner who wants one animal to do several jobs. The quiet nature and manageable size suit first-time owners, younger riders and families, and plenty of experienced riders keep Haflingers for driving and competitive dressage. Working life is long: a Haflinger that is well looked after can still be in work well into its twenties.

The name comes from Hafling, a village in the South Tyrol. The area belonged to Austria-Hungary at the time and today lies in northern Italy. Horses of this stamp worked the steep alpine valleys for generations, carrying goods and people along narrow mountain paths that were too tight for a bigger horse.

The breed in its present form goes back to one foundation stallion, 249 Folie, foaled in 1874. Folie was out of a local Tyrolean mare by a half-Arabian stallion. Every Haflinger alive today descends from him through seven recognised stallion lines.

Organised stud records and selection got under way in the early twentieth century. The Arabian blood still shows in the refined head and the free way of going; the mountain stock supplied the bone, the hardiness and the settled temperament.

Over the course of the twentieth century the Haflinger moved out of the Alps, first through Austria and Italy, then on to Germany, the United Kingdom, North America and further afield. Breeding stayed tightly controlled throughout so that the chestnut coat, the flaxen mane and tail and the quiet working character were kept intact.

The Haflinger is compact and well balanced, with a deep chest, a sloping shoulder and a strong back. The head is refined and often slightly dished, a nod to the Arabian ancestor, and sits on a well-arched neck. The legs are short for the body but carry good bone, and the hooves are hard enough for rough, stony going.

The horse moves freely and with elasticity. The walk is particularly active and the trot covers ground. Taken together, the picture is of a small horse built for stamina and pulling power, not for height or speed.

Coat and colours

Colour is the one thing that never varies. The body can be anything from a pale, almost palomino gold through bright chestnut to a dark liver chestnut that verges on brown, but the mane and tail are always pale, somewhere between white and light flaxen. Breed rules keep white markings to a minimum: a small marking on the face is acceptable, while large white patches, or white on the legs above the knee or hock, count against the horse. The mane and tail are generally long and thick.

An even, willing nature is what the Haflinger is best known for. The majority are people-friendly, put up with handling well and are slow to take fright, which explains why they turn up so often in riding schools, therapeutic riding and family yards. Meeting strangers, a Haflinger is more likely to be inquisitive than jumpy.

The breed is sociable with other horses and fits into a herd without fuss. Haflingers are clever, and that cleverness can tip into having a mind of their own, so handling needs to be consistent. Leave one bored or short of work and it may well start testing the rules; give it a clear, fair routine and it responds. Energy is middling. There is enough stamina for a full day's work, yet the horse remains manageable for a less experienced rider.

The Haflinger is a hardy horse. Cold and changeable weather do not trouble it, a legacy of its alpine origins, and a frosty Highveld winter is well within what it can handle. Everyday care is simple enough. The catch is that the breed puts on weight very easily, so keeping an eye on condition is a permanent part of management.

Grooming

• Brush the body a few times a week to lift dirt and loose hair, and more often while the coat is changing in spring and autumn.
• Comb through the long mane and tail regularly so they do not knot, with a detangling spray if need be.
• Pick out the hooves every day and look for stones, cracks or any sign of thrush.
• Wash the horse only when it is really needed; frequent bathing strips the natural oils from the coat.

Exercise

• Turn the horse out daily in a camp or paddock so it can move about freely.
• Ride or drive it several times a week to keep it fit and stop it getting bored.
• Mix up the work between riding, driving and groundwork to hold its interest.
• Bring the workload back up gradually after any time off.

Environment

Haflingers do best with a shelter and grazing to hand rather than being shut in a stable. They cope with cold, but in the heat of a South African summer they must have shade and clean water within reach at all times. Because they hold condition so readily, time on lush grazing may have to be cut back, either with a grazing muzzle or by limiting the hours in the camp.

The Haflinger is a good doer, in other words it holds its weight on comparatively little feed. Good-quality roughage, whether grazing or hay, should form the bulk of the ration. Many Haflingers need nothing beyond roughage and a vitamin and mineral balancer, and concentrates are seldom called for unless the horse is in hard work or a mare is heavily in foal. Overfeeding causes far more trouble in this breed than underfeeding ever does.

Treats and supplements

A piece of carrot or apple now and then is fine as a treat, bearing in mind how readily the breed gains weight. Salt should be available at all times, either as a lick or loose. A Haflinger on decent roughage generally needs little more than a balancer to make up any shortfall in vitamins and minerals. Clean, fresh water must be on offer around the clock.

The Haflinger is by and large a healthy, tough horse, and one that is properly looked after commonly lives 25 to 30 years. Its thrifty metabolism cuts both ways. It keeps the horse in good order on very little feed, but it also makes the horse prone to piling on weight and to everything that follows from that. Most of the health management for this breed comes down to keeping it at a sensible weight.

Preventive care

• Keep the horse at a healthy body condition through measured feeding and regular work.
• Keep vaccinations current for the area, including African horse sickness, which is a real risk for horses in much of South Africa.
• Deworm according to a programme based on faecal egg counts.
• Have the farrier out every six to eight weeks and the teeth examined at least once a year.
• Arrange a yearly veterinary check-up, and more frequent ones for an older horse.

The Haflinger picks things up quickly and works happily with people, which makes it a sound prospect across a range of disciplines. It can be strong-willed, and handlers get the most out of it with clear, consistent aids and a calm, patient approach. Repetition and routine pay off. Thanks to its steady nerves the breed usually takes new surroundings, traffic and unfamiliar jobs in its stride.

Basics

1. Begin with groundwork: leading, standing still and yielding to pressure.
2. Build trust through regular handling and grooming before any ridden or driven work is added.
3. Introduce tack and harness a piece at a time and let the horse accept each item.
4. Teach a single new skill at a time and confirm it before moving on to the next.
5. Keep sessions short and finish on a good note so the horse stays willing.

Haflinger breeding runs to strict standards laid down by the breed registries so that the chestnut coat, flaxen mane and tail and calm temperament stay uniform. Prospective breeding stock is inspected for conformation and movement before it is registered. A mare is old enough to breed at around three years, although many breeders hold off until she has finished developing.

Gestation is about eleven months and as a rule produces one foal. Foals tend to be born a darker shade and lighten as they grow up. The breed is slow to mature, and youngsters are not usually backed before roughly three years of age so that the skeleton has time to develop. Weaning happens at around six months, and where possible foals are reared in groups, which suits their sociable, easygoing nature.