haflingers

vick

vick

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Anyone own a haflinger? or have any info on them? Ive owned one for 4 weeks now. Just getting to know her, the ups and downs! Very strong charactures!
 
Decent meat ponies......
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wouldn't own one personally.

each to their own
 
I do not like them, the ones I have met are just ignorant.
Does'nt help with the ones I know have the wrong type of owners but not for me, sorry no offence meant.
 
I had one for 8 months, only rehomed due to an injury and can no longer be ridden. He was super on the road, really gave my mum her confidence back. Only downside he could be bolshy! He also had very sensitive skin in the summer with all the flies, but not sure if he was prone to this before. Have you got a piccie?
 
Known a few, all in a riding school though. Bolshy little gits, always pushing the kids around, needed a lot of discipline.

Doesn’t mean yours will be like that though!

Now if you had bought a Fjord, I would have been gushing!
 
Ive tried downloading pics unsucsessfully! i will keep trying. I have bought her for the kids as a lead rein. But shes big enough for me to have a little hack on.
 
Years ago my riding club had an instructor who did (I think) advanced medium dressage on a haflinger stallion (Oxnead Aristocrat). He was well trained by a professional rider which probably makes a difference! He was usually well placed in his dressage and I think he jumped as well.
 
I have a cuz that got a halfy a year and a half ago, the first day she rode him and asked him 2 canter he bucked her off, tried and tried every time she asked for a canter, turned out he was a driving pony and didnt no what a canter was, that aside he was very full of himself and got on like a stallion but a year and a half on he is a different pony anyone could ride him or handle him, i clipped him at the weekend wit out even a leadrope.
 
I am looking after a friends haffy at the moment, yes, she can be bolshy and pushy but with the right handling she becomes an angel, very willing to please, always happy to see us. She hadnt been ridden for about 4 months and my daughter got straight on and off they went no bother. When we loo for something else for her will be looking for one just like this one, shes gorgeous, will have a go at anything and anyone can ride her.
 
I have had my haflinger for 2months nearly, she is a terror but I love her! She is intelligent and knows how to get out of things such as when I lunge her she comes to me instead of staying out.
I have ridden her a few times but managed to fall off asking her to canter as she really bucked!!! I just lost my balance. So am now starting from scratch doing in hand work.
Good luck with yours! Keep me posted!!!
 
thanks, yeh i love her already. Shes taken to bucking and kicking out when i mount her!! It was just walking off to start with, shes very cheeky but i like her and i dont think its done nastily just a battle of wills! ive had her back checked, teeth and saddles fitted correctly. Riding again tomoz, fingers crossed! Little madam!
 
I have had my Haflinger for over 2 years and love him! Yes - they are prone to being bulshy but as soon as they know who's boss they are the most loving ponies. When I got mine I took things really slowly, walk and trot for weeks before canter work. After a year I took him on sponsored rides and down the beach - he will go anywhere - never naps, hacks all day but he is strong in company at a canter! Just don't get into a situation that you feel uncomfortable with. He is 100% traffic, box, catch, clip - a great alrounder.
Good luck with yours, he will prove to be a great friend!
 
I have a Haflinger.....and were everyone else would say they are bolshy and naughty I would say they are intelligent and get bored very easily. They don't tolerate beginners or people who are 'airy fairy' around them and are into hard, taxing work.

People don't like Haflingers because they a) misunderstand them and b) have only met ones in this country. In their native countries(Austria, Germany, Holland mostly) the breed is much more understood and time is taken on the training. A Haflinger should do NO form of training other than handling and manners until they have reached their 4th birthday....after this time they are more than willing to co-operate and are broken to ride and drive relatively quickly. Most of the Haffies that were either bred in this country or imported before they are 4yo are usually already jumping and competing by their 4th birthday and are IMO totally spolied and tend to get a bit 'angry'. But TBH you can't blame the poor things, they have missed out on the 'growing up' they should've had.
 
she has been shipped in from holland, i dont know her history but her passport says shes 9 the vet says more like 10 and the dentist says more like 7 so goodness knows what her 1st few years of life have been. shes rather lean and and from what i can make out the last couple of months rather unsettled, but she settling nicley and i have a good feeling about her
 
Aaaww bless, I'm sure she'll be fine soon. My girl settled into the routine within 3 days....she is fantastic and is not bothered by anything I do with/to her.
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Are her parents named in her passport? You can PM me if you like, I have done a fair bit of research on Dutch Haflinger pedigrees as mine is from there too.
 
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bolshy seems to be the leading word hear.....

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My Shettie is bolshy, my NF is bolshy if you hold her headcollar, my Haflinger however is definitely not, she's an angel and I can lead her from the end of the leadrope without a problem.
 
The thing i find really facinating is that, out of 45 other horses and ponies that my new mare could of herded up with, she has choosen the one other Haflinger.... bizzare... you look like me will you be my mate
 
My boss sells them - we use them in the riding school as well. In general the ones I've met are all very intelligent, tough as boots, bargy on the ground and inclined to buck.

On the plus side, most of them will work all day and the harder the better. Many of them have a very decent little pop and the ability to work very smartly in an outline. They are placid and easy going in many ways, not inclined to be spooky or silly. Once you have them 'on side' they are angels. In the right hands they are good ponies, really fun characters - but you have to be prepared to be constantly tough with them. Personally I find them a bit of a pain in the @rse cos I'm too lazy to be constantly keeping on top of a pony.
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Basically give them an inch and they will take a mile, they are useless as kids ponies as they walk all over them in seconds and they don't forget either... Once they've got away with it once, they'll try every time. They can be bloody destructive as well in the field as they'll just march through anything in their way.

Having said all this, I've just bought a Haffie off my boss (!) and he is the opposite of every Haffie I've known. He is quiet and shy to handle, sensitive, well mannered and sweet. To ride he is forward going and a bit spooky but would never even think of bucking. He has a fab jump (clears 1.10 easily) and is brave as anything over fences. I have spent the last few years saying I would rather give up horses alltogether than get a Haffie, but I adore mine. So there are really sweet ones out there. But mine is definitely a 'rarity'. I've know at least another 6 or 7 that were all bargy, bucky, smart arses
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There was a thread on Haffies a few months ago. I had Andes, a Haffie gelding for a year. He was sold to me as a safe plod for a not very brave rider. Hah! I joined the Haflinger Society of GB and I would recommend this to the OP as they have a ton of info to share. The breed was very popular in the war as a pack horse because they are tough and hardy. This pushed the size of Haffies down to an average of 14hh. But as they have got more popular, their average height is rising. Andes was 14.2.

As a breed (and pigeon holing any breed can be dangerous) they are independent, strong, long lived and unflappable. They do well in preliminary tests to see if a horse would be suitable for use as an RDA pony, though I've never seen any progress beyond proving how unflappable they are! In addition to the breed characteristics, Andes was fast, bargy, stomach oriented, rude and opinionated. A safe plod he was NOT! After many, many low grade battles he put me in hospital with an almost broken neck and I swapped him for a sweet veteran that the riding school had. He now has an adoring army of teenage fans who like the bucking and rudeness. In his defence, he just wanted to be a horse - he didn't want to be my soulmate.

To summarise, Haffies are pretty and versatile but don't expect an easy time of it.
 
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