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DRAFT (also called Old Type) vs MODERN (also called Pleasure or Sport Type)
Draft


Modern


BUT HERE’S WHERE IT GETS CONFUSING
“…by 1920, and before 1900, this all-around use of the light riding and carriage horse is documented in literature, which means that the Haflinger of today as a riding and carriage horse is not an invention of the modern hippologes. It is also not the invention of a breeding association, but it is the historic definition of a Haflinger horse.” {emphasis my own} and he says again and again that the “original orientation was towards a modern horse, towards a leisure horse, a universal horse that also had to be suitable for work.”
So…Which Type is my Haflinger?

But What Type of Haflinger is Best For Me?

The Winner Is…
4 responses to “Haflingers 101: Draft vs Modern”
I like your blogs. I did see the one earlier . I’ve have halflingers 20 years now . I did breed for a few year’s but stop as the economy and prices came down . I have the old or Foundation stock . I know that theres a place for the newer Style and are fairly popular . I’m really disappointed in what has happened to the newer stock . I don’t like what they are now . They lost a lot by breeding taller and light . They say refined but I think it ruined the breed . There’s a lot of good traits that we’re lost by doing so . Registry just wrote it out .I find it hard to believe the old stock was 15 -16 Hands and light boned , lost foot size , muscle , dish on head , Blaze is a lot less , I can’t get past that Germany in ww II changed them that much .how can to be possible to make a horse 6 to 8 in. Shorter , bigger bone more muscle ( stockier ) in just a few years . 10 or less. I not whating to start anything I’m trying to understand better with open discussion . I should study old history on them better so I understand the horse’s prior to World War II .
I very much agree with you, Bryan. I breed the traditional/old ones in Australia and they are very pure but unable to be registered by the Australian Haflinger Horse Breeders Association because their emphasis is on breeding the taller, finer type so they raised the height standards to make mine ineligible for registration although my stallion is directly descended from the original import and those were the same height or smaller than him. I also do not like the new breed and have had some contact with them and find them much less acceptable in many ways, mostly temperament. I also travelled overseas and visited a world classifier/judge of Haflingers and he told me some very interesting things. eg. in some countries they have damaged the breed and they no longer retain the wonderful characteristics that Haflingers were once noted for. There unfortunately will come a time when people judge a haflinger by what they are now and conclude that the bad behaviour of many is just “typical haffy” behaviour. This is never how they were. I just don’t understand why, if you want a performance horse, you set about changing a once wonderful breed such as the Haflinger into one, no different from any other performance breed (except of course colour) and you then have lost the special traits that set the haflinger apart from any other breed in so many good ways. They were really very unique in their wonderful traits and are, if still with the traditional blood, an exceptional horse unlike no other breed.
Lesley – I can’t speak to how the Australian registry does things, but it’s definitely interesting to see how different registries handle things in other countries, since my experience is only in the US!
Like I mentioned in my reply to Bryan, my experience is mostly with the more modern type, but I’ve worked with and ridden both types for several years now. Again, I’m in the US, so things may be different, but I’ve never seen any negative temperament issues or poor conformation that I could attribute solely to the fact that a particular horse is “drafty” or “modern”. There are so many other factors that come into play.
In my opinion, breeders should be following the standards set by the registry, and ultimately the standards set by the Austrian federation. That means the emphasis IS on temperament as well as conformation and the other factors that make a Haflinger a Haflinger. I’m not saying that’s not what you’re doing, or that you’re doing it wrong – I just mean that I agree with you that these horses have wonderful traits that we need to preserve.
I’ll admit that I like some of the super refined, fancy moving Haflingers. That appeals to me as a dressage and competition rider – but that’s not really what a Haflinger is. Breeding at the expense of the breed? Or bringing in too much Arabian blood? I don’t agree with that.
I understand the modern type of Haflinger to be one that is a little bit taller, a bit lighter, and overall more athletic looking than the classic WWII Haflinger. The modern Haflingers that I’ve worked with are still sturdy, still sound, still have good bone, tough feet, and are extremely versatile. To me, that’s what the ideal modern Haflinger is.
Bryan – thanks for reading! I am glad you are liking my posts and are sharing your perspective, and I’m happy my posts are provoking discussion!
I know that the two camps within the breed (those who like the draft style and those who like the modern style) can get very contentious – we are all so passionate about our Haflingers.
My experience with Haflingers has been mostly with what people might consider the more modern type, although I’ve had my fair share of riding and trading the draftier ones too (in addition to years of riding and training all breeds). I love them all, but I do think that adhering to the standards is important when breeding.
If you are able to find a copy of the Haflinger book by Johannes Schweisgut to purchase or borrow, I highly recommend it, if you haven’t gotten the chance to read it already. It explains a lot more of the details that I don’t have room for here. Keep in mind that the Austrians used tape measures at the time, which makes the measurements come out larger than stick measurement and can account for some of the height difference (although if I remember right, they still weren’t in the 15-16hh range, at least not commonly, and that is still rare to see today). During the war years, the Austrians were forced to breed only the smallest and most compact horses – and the survival of the breed as a whole was in danger. Towards the end of the war and in the years following, a small group of breeders banded together to build the breed back up to the original vision that was – a leisure horse, something that had been determined even as far back as before 1900. They implemented strict rules, created a specialized stud farm, and worked hard to return to their roots.
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