Haflinger Horse

Haflinger Horse is a small, sturdy horse breed native to the mountainous South Tyrol region of the Alps, an area historically part of Austria and now part of Italy, developed from local mountain pony stock crossed with Arabian bloodlines in the nineteenth century. It is instantly recognizable by its consistent chestnut coat with a flaxen or white mane and tail, a coloring fixed as a breed standard, along with a compact, muscular build suited to its origins as a pack and draft animal for mountain farming and transport. Modern breeding, tracing to a foundation stallion born in the 1870s, has produced a horse valued today for riding, driving and light draft work, prized for its gentle temperament, surefootedness and hardiness. Haflinger studbooks and breed associations exist in both Austria and Italy as well as in many countries where the breed has since been exported.