Halflinger

Breed history

Haflinger is an old breed of low horses, bred in the mountains of Austria, in Tyrol. The history of the halflinger can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when writers mentioned a population of horses of the eastern type living in the mountains of South Tyrol on the territory of modern Austria and northern Italy. Many villages and farms in Tirol could be reached only through narrow mountain paths, moving and carrying goods, which were only capable of agile and dexterous horses. The paintings of this area at the beginning of the 19th century depicted neat little horses with riders and packs traveling on steep mountain roads.

The first official documentation representing the halflinger (named after the Tyrolean village of Hafling, modern Italy) was provided in 1874, when a stallion who founded the breed, 249 Foley, was born from a crossbred Arab 133 El Bedawi XX and a local Tyrolean mare. Continue reading →