Haflinger

The Haflinger comes from the South Tyrol, in what is now northern Italy and western Austria, and every registered Haflinger traces to one foundation stallion, 249 Folie, foaled in 1874 out of a native mare by a half-Arabian sire.

They are always chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, small at 13.2 to 15 hands, and built like a small draft horse rather than a pony.

They were bred to work steep alpine ground, so they are sure-footed, strong for their size, and they mature slowly and live long. They drive, they pack, they ride, and they are quiet enough for beginners.

The trade is metabolic. Haflingers are extremely easy keepers, bred for country where feed was scarce, and on good pasture they become obese and are prone to insulin resistance and laminitis. Grazing has to be restricted deliberately.