Does everyone hate Haflingers?

Niddlynoo

Niddlynoo

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Why is it whenever I mention to people I have a Haffie, I get responses from 'oh how horrible, they're always a nightmare' to 'they're very pretty but I've never met a nice one!'
Ok, my boy can be a little trying at times, but he is friendly, loves attention and most importantly, my children can hack him out alone and in company safely (he was 4 when we got him and my 9 yr old didn't have any issues). When he got badly beaten in the field (and ended up with a fractured cannon bone), people said he deserved it as he always like to play.
I think as a breed they have a lot to offer, does anyone else have experience of this type of prejudice?
 
Never heard anyone say anything nasty about them. My friend does Long Distance with hers and never gets any comments.
 
I don't "hate" them but they would be well down on my list of choices. A friend of mine breeds haflingers and she always says they can go badly off the rails temperament-wise in the wrong hands, but then what can't!
 
I have no problems with Haffys. :)

I do get a bit fed up with the dealers who import a few cheaply that have mainly been driving horses on the continent, call them 'palomino' (Grrrrrr!), get them riding ok and then promptly sell then as novice rides for far more than they are really worth. This is however not the ponies' fault. It does explain somewhat why they have a bad reputation though, but any strong minded, green pony and a novice rider, isn't really a good combination.
 
Definitely not!!
I have an 'unspecified' mare at home, and im sure she has some Haffie in her and I love her for it!
She can be cheeky but hacks out a dream (even with only one eye), and is a good allrounder.

If I was looking for another horse, the haflinger is at the top of my list, and way over any tb type.
I think they are fab!
 
I have heard a few people saying they are strong, bad-tempered etc but I've never actually met one or ridden one so I wouldn't base my opinions on them according to what other people have told me, I'd rather meet a few first and then see what I think!

I get annoyed when I see adverts advertising "haflingers" when they're just palomino horses and probably not got a trace of haffie in them! I used to work for a dealer that got in a fat cob that was a very dull shade of palomino and they started raving about how it was a haffie. It wasn't. it was a palomino cob and looked nothing like a proper haflinger.
 
My horses field mate is a haffie. Prior to getting my boy i rode her for few months to keep my hand in.

She was extremly mareish and strong (liked to tank off round the manage). But a very dependable hack and a very good allrounder, could turn her hand to most things. She was also a little bargy/ill manered on the ground however, nothing an adult couldnt handle with ease. From my experience i would say more of an adults very pretty pony!
 
I love Haffy's! Wouldnt necessarily buy one for what I want atm but ive ridden loads and found them, fun, honest and some very talented!! I know loads that do very good dressage one actually up to Advanced Medium and i know lots who jump really well too, i think its just the same as any breed, sometimes people have set prejudices about them - cobs, arabs and thoroughbreds for example.

xxx
 
I adore mine but agree with the comments about cheap imported ones from the continent that havent been given the firm consistent treatment that all opinionated coblets need as youngsters. Also the rules there allow some non haffie blood so you can get some issues from that influencing temperament.

I was lucky and instead of buying a broken one with an unknown history I got to buy a GB registered well bred unbroken 3yo and after backing her with my RI YO she is my horse of a lifetime (now 8yo). She is Austrian bloodlines and out there they cull anything not up to scratch, so standards are high. She isnt at all mare-y, is clever and affectionate and talkative and is very willing to try anything. Lives on fresh air, no shoes, synthetic tack, thats what ponies should be like!

I do think that they are, like Welsh Ds, strong and can take advantage of little ones, so not ideal as a first pony. Ideal for mum and daughter share tho. Several up here in the Grampians do endurance with them as they can trot forever; their trot isnt too tiringly extravagant in movement so they keep going.

My farrier did groan when he saw his new client had a Haffie but he says she has converted him to the breed as she is so well behaved with him.

So if you're going to get a Haffie, get a GB registered one (branded GBH on the shoulder :-) and an edelweiss flower on the flank shows it has been inspected at 3yo) and preferably as young as possible so that you can give it the discipline and love it needs).

Here's Liesel...
Liesel5corrachreeendurance2May10.jpg
 
I had one in to break a couple of years ago. Quick to learn , especially what they shouldn't :)
I don't like them or hate them but wouldn't want one.
here he is..Furbo (Italian for crafty/fly.)
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the correct colour for a Haffie is chestnut with flaxen mane and tail. Should they be born with 'dirty' manes/tails (not 100 per cent flaxen) or they aren't a good chestnut they are raised for meat or are sold off very cheap and preferably to dealers who will take a group at a time. Todays Haffie has been 'modernised' by the infusion of Arab blood and is very different from the Haffie of fifty years ago when he was used as a work animal.
Yes, Furbo has a 'dirty' tail!
 
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Think the problem is people tend to forget they are native ponies and are more than likely to be a bit thron, I used to get similar comments about my Highland pony who admittedly when we got him was a bit of a little toad, but once you won the first arguement and he let you take control he was a brilliant pony. I dodn't realise how good he was until I met other Highland Ponies that were really rude.
You'll probably find that the people who say 'how horrible for you' have probably met one that has been owned by a 'fluffy bunny' type person and have been allowed to do whatever they want, people forget that with Native Ponies of any type if you give them an inch they run straight over the top of you.
I met an older gentleman when i was still young who bred Highland Ponies and I was doing some inhand showing for him, I do remember thinking he was really rough with the ponies and youngstock, but have since realised that that was how they taught the youngster not to barge and be rude, it was just a bit of an eye opener when I was 14 and had been taught always tie to baling twine so it snaps if they pull back suddenly, this guy turned out with leadropes attached so that they learned to stop when pressure was applied to the headcollar, they were tied to brick walls and allowed to pull back and discover that it didn't work, think the methods are very old fashioned now but after having met very rude native ponies I stopped disagreeing with what he had done.
 
I hear quite alot of bad stuff about them but mine is brilliant! jumps anything, boomproof and well schooled. I agree he's not a child/novice pony as can be strong minded. I have also met one that was horrible but think that was maybe because it was in the wrong hands
 
I have a Belgian haflinger with a 5 generation pedigree certificate she has not been branded as they are not allowed to hot brand them anymore. I contact the breed society who say that there is no foreign blood within her pedigree, Unfortunatly she does have some issues that are man made like seperation anxiety and very mild sweet itch? (in the hands of the vet at the mo), but she is forward going and excellent to hack out on her own and in company etc. She can be a little bolshy on the ground but i have worked hard on that.
 
aimeetb said:
I love Haffy's! Wouldnt necessarily buy one for what I want atm but ive ridden loads and found them, fun, honest and some very talented!! I know loads that do very good dressage one actually up to Advanced Medium and i know lots who jump really well too, i think its just the same as any breed, sometimes people have set prejudices about them - cobs, arabs and thoroughbreds for example.

xxx
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Agree with this completely, after having met my sisters stupid bloody arab I wouldn't have one of them, but have met a few nice cobs. Think if I was to buy another horse in the future I would probably do a circle back to the Highland Pony, just because the ones I know are baasically indestructible (although my Danish WarmbloodX TB has only just got a vets bill after 18 years so she's pretty much the same), think I would come away from the breed of my current horse entirely as I think it would be too easy to compare a new horse to what my current horse would have done.
 
Never actually met one I have to confess, but as a kid they were always amongst my favs - probably because all the Horse & Pony mag posters were of adorable looking Haffys in lovely snowy scenes!
Had never heard anything negative about them until reading this though.
 
after having met my sisters stupid bloody arab I wouldn't have one of them
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I think that this statement is the underlying cause of most of the 'breed hate' that we experiance. People meet one bad horse (that was probably in pain, mistreated or badly managed at some point) and latch onto one thing about it (it's breed, colour, gender or whatever takes their fancy) and then proceed to daub every other horse of that breed/colour/gender/whatever with the same negative brush.

Narrow minded idiots I say! :p
 
:P Sorry Faracat please don't take offence I'm sure yours are lovely (in a picture far far away :P), but honestly if you met this horse you would agree it has to be one of the most stupid animals on the planet, I'm amazed it has the brain power to remember to breath!!!
This is a horse that can't sleep standing up (yes the vet's checked it), at 26yo still won't stand for the farrier, stand in it's stable for whatever reason, it's the sterotypical blonde of horses!!!
Think the other arab that I met couldn't live without his teddy bear!!!

I hear the same thing about my chestnut mare and she's great, think it's one of these very personal things when you buy a horse and the old saying 'handsome is as handsome does' springs to mind, I think my horse is the prettiest on the yard, but everyone should think that about their own horse. :) :)
 
The problem I have with Haffies (and it's not actually their fault) is they seem to be sold an awful lot as suitable for novices which from what I can see they most definitely are NOT. I've encountered two such ones and they were both bolshy, bargy and very ill mannered. I'm sure in the right hands they can be lovely.
 
I've never met one but have talked to people who have owned haffies and they adore them and have said they are great with kids. They are a horse person's horse though, like a lot of natives and they need a firm hand and consistent boundaries. But I have a Highland and like naryafluffy people always say, "Oh, they're horrible!" when you tell them. Yet mine is cheeky yet gentle and wonderful with my young children. But my God, did he try it own when we first got him as a two year old! It didn't take much to establish who was boss but with anyone timid or fluffy, yes, he still would walk all over them and appear to be a little monster when in actual fact, he's the most laid back, easy going animal I have ever met - exactly what a Highland should be! I think Haffies have been tarred with same brush and frankly, PR wise, its the kiss of death when a breed is pretty and has those horse calender looks. Then they become fashionable, prices shoot up, and a lot of rubbish comes on the market and gets sold to people who just want a pretty pony. Welsh D's have suffered from this as well I think and arabs. Its a shame. If people are determined to get a particular breed then they should spend a little bit of time researching the breed and get an animal that is a wonderful example. We went to a stud for our boy and with all the bad press Highland's get I see him as an ambassador! Tbh, I love natives of all types and if it was up to me, I'd own one each of the British natives, a haffie and a Fjord. Time and money alas, limits me to two! :D
 
indiat said:
Tbh, I love natives of all types and if it was up to me, I'd own one each of the British natives, a haffie and a Fjord. Time and money alas, limits me to two! :D
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You should see the Haflingers and Fjords that they do demonstrations with at Equitana, they are stunning and so well trained, they have the Fjords with flags attached to their tails gallopping about, balloons tied into their manes and they lie down and burst them, or just put all the balloons on the groud and they jump on them (no one is riding this is of the horses own choice), jumping through hoops with paper in the middle, all these are ridden by kids bareback (I almost cry watching them, makes all the hair on the back of your neck stand up).
On a lighter note here are the cliques of horses
Equine High School Cliques:



Quarter Horses: Definitely jocks. Strutting around flexing those muscles, showing off their butts....yeah, jocks allright!

Thoroughbreds: Preppies. Sometimes athletes, never 'jocks'. Monogrammed blankets, leather halters, Nike eventer shoes, the latest custom trailer and tack.

Appaloosas: Could only be the stoners. They like to trip acid so they can watch their spots move.

Arabians: RAH! RAH! SIS BOOM BAH! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TEAM!! (need I say more?)

Shetland Ponies: Frightening, spiky hairdos, snotty attitude and any color of the rainbow .... gotta be PUNKS. Some even sport tattoos.

Connemaras: Gorgeous chicks with sultry eyelashes, sexy curves, devil-may-care attitudes. NOT into studying or anything to do with geometry. Great fun to be around, delightful senses of humour, and the world's best pranksters. Can usually be found in the nearest pub, entertaining the masses. Fast and easy.

Friesians: Big, buff, and always in black, they are the biker clique. Cigs hanging out of the corner of their mouths, dangerous glint in the eyes, daring anyone to cross their path.

Morgans: They're the nerdy teacher's pets, running around doing everything from yearbook to decorating the gym and ratting out the bikers, stoners and jocks. They have perpetual wedgies.

Drafts (all breeds): No real clique, they're just the big guys who sit in the back of the room and fart a lot (and then laugh). Who's going to STOP them?

Icelandics and Paso Finos: They're the little squirrely geeks who flit around a dance trying to fit in and fail miserably. The kind who wear Toughskins jeans from Sears (or would that be ripoff WeathaBeetas??).

Ahkle Tekl (Akle Takl? Ackle Tackle....!! Akhal Teke!!): Foreign exchange student(s). And no one can spell their names either.

Hackney Ponies: A breed this manic would have to be a band geek. Marching along with their knees and heads held high.....even going to the bathroom.

Warmbloods: The school staff and faculty. Looking down their noses with righteous indignation and disgust. Secretly wishing they were having half as much fun!
 
Yep whenever I see an ad advertising a Haffie as suitable for a small child, I remember the look on Liesel's face when she sees a little one - a mix between 'aha, fresh Meat!' and 'I couldnt eat a whole one'.......:-))



Like Highlands and Welsh Ds they are clever and they are strong, which in the wrong hands is a disastrous mix. However, it does make for all the more satisfaction and pleasure feeling when your Haffie is seen as a 'good Haffie', esp if you have broken them in yourself!
 
Thanks for all the posts :) they all seem to be the same - give and inch and they'll take a mile! Naryafluffy - love that. I've just a heavyweight cob pass his vetting today so he'll be my new riding horse. Can just see him farting along at the back!!!!
 
Afraid so. One kicked my beautiful TB gelding and broke his leg - my horse had to be destroyed. The halflinger is still barging his way through life - no justice! So not the best person to ask. Unfortunatey his owner and previous owner had allowed him to get away with acting like a bullock - but as per earlier post - could apply to any breed in the wrong hands......
 
Omg I love ours, yes he is strong, yes he can lead you, yes he will plant himself, yes if u get him moving he can only go in walk.

All of that is if you don't know how to handle a haffie, on the backside of that he does a fab dressage test, he will walk for my girls, he will canter for my 7 year old with breaks.

People don't know how it handle haflingers at all.
 
I like haflingers but have only met very stubborn pain in the arse ones :)
Went to view one who rode really nicely until she got bored and planted her feet and switched off.

Im sure like any breed there are bad ones and good ones
 
While I wouldn't buy a Haffie (because I've got enough horses, no other reason) I think they are beautiful. Some friends of mine have Haffies and have lots of fun with them.
 
No. I think they are pretty...

But as a kid, I used to ride one. I even remember her name: Daisy.

And she was a REALLY annoying pony!!! Moved up to horses right after her, but she sort of hammered in my mind that the smaller, cuter and sweeter a pony looks, the more stubborn they are. Not that it's true...
 
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