Haflinger questions

[horseheart]

We have three minis. The plan was to get the minis and get used to horses and hore care then when we felt ready to get a larger horse for riding.

I love the Haflingers but I are still green and read Haflingers are not good for beginners. Any comments?

I was thinking an experienced gelding might work. My sons are 6 and 8.

Thanks,

Robin

 

[kaykay]

haflingers are huge and could be intimidating for your kids. I have known some really gentle ones but I think its like any other animal depends on how it was brought up and trained. I think quarter ponies are great for kids to ride

 

[Boinky]

haffies are typically quite gentle and i wouldn't exactly say a beginning SHOULDN'T Have them..however most of them i've worked with can be very pushy and are quite smart. If you are at all intimidated by them they will take advantage of that fully. many like to try to walk ontop of you while leading if you'll let them ect. If your not a horse person to begin with and don't know how to have a firm hand and insist on ground manners then a haffie may not be right for you. Now i'm not saying ALL haffies are this way..just a majority of the ones i've worked with. I would look for a well broke one if your set on a haffie.

 

[Brandi*]

For the last year I worked at a farm part time that has about 8 halfies including babies and adults. I persoanlly don't like the breed. They are very sweet and affectionate but when it comes to doing anything with them they are pushy and very heavy in their feet. Very drafty. But this is not to say that all of them are like this. I have heard people say that they aren't spooky but I met a halfie mare that was the spookiest horse I have ever seen. I would just do your research and try to work with one before you make the decision to buy one. Good luck with whatever breed you end up with!!!

:

 

[anoki]

I have heard people say that they aren't spooky but I met a halfie mare that was the spookiest horse I have ever seen. I would just do your research and try to work with one before you make the decision to buy one. Good luck with whatever breed you end up with!!!

:

I think any breed there are always some that are not the 'norm', but in my dealings with Haflingers I have found the same things that have already be stated above. The ones I have had dealings with were sweet horses, until you tried to do stuff with them, like simply leading them out to the field, putting them back in their stall. One would run you down as you were trying to leave it's stall (and I am NOT a small person), another would freak out (for no apparent reason) while you were leading it out to the field, it would panic and bolt....and they are not easy to control when they are like that, this one was turned into a riding horse because he used to do the panic & bolt thing when being driven, so he was no longer safe to drive. One of them when being ridden used to constantly take it's rider (a grown woman) out of the ring, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop him, and he knew it!!!

But I'm glad you are asking questions and doing research before you do anything!!! :saludando:

I'm sure there are some great ones out there, but just be very careful on which one you do buy...but that goes for any breed!!

~kathryn

 

[horseheart]

So what would you suggest for a beginner?

 

[Brandi*]

I think there is a good horse in every breed. For every one person who has something negative to say about a certain breed, you will find another who loves them! You just need a sound, well-trained, layed back baby- sitter when you are a beginner

: Geeze I still want a babysitter and I am not necessarily a beginner anymore

: So I wouldn't think so much about "breed" as I would about the "individual" at this point. If it was me, I would start by trying to find an old lesson pony or horse. As long as they have been treated good, they usually make great beginners horses!!! Hope this helps

:

 

[Leeana]

We stopped and visited a haflinger farm, a HUGE haflinger farm while we were in Kentucky over the weekend. All the horses had different levels of temperments and all had different levels of handling, which went along with each temperment. They are one of my faverite pony breeds but they sure know how to throw their weight around. I know locally allot of children in 4H start out on haflingers and dont get me wrong, they are great ponies but you will need one that has been handled allot and is gentle and laid back. I think Hafie mares are more gentle and are imo one of the most femineme(sp?) breeds when it comes to the mares.

I'd to suggest a Quarter Pony! Maybe even a POA but they generally dont have as much muscle and build as a QH/QP or Hafie.

Goodluck :aktion033: :aktion033:

 

[Loren&Rocky]

I have a yearling haflinger filly. She is my first haflinger ever. She is quiet and good, but can be pushy. I can't say I would not want another one, but I am not going crazy over her saying I love this breed either.

Now, Catalina was not handled at all until she was 8 months old. A week before we got her she was halter broke. She walked right into the horse trailer when we went to pick her up in CA like she had done it a million times. We overnighted her at a nice barn in northern Ca and in the morning I was worried we would not be able to get her back in the horse trailer. Well, she walked right in again, no questions asked. We continued our journey and arrived here in WA late at night. I unloaded her and all the other horses were running up and down like crazy when they saw her. Catalina pranced past me twice and I corrected her with a quick jerk on the lead rope. She then leaned on me and I pushed her off easily. I put her in the 5 acre pasture with her new pals and that was that. She was never hard to catch or anything. She is still that way, but when I take her out and go down the road with her I do put a chain on her. She could easily drag me down the road if she wanted to.

Both of her parents are true work horses. I rode her sire and he had never really been ridden much at all. He is a logging/plow/carriage horse. But Max did walk trot and canter without complaint and with ease. He was not pushy or stubborn at all. I hope Catalina turns out like her sire. I do love him and would love to own him as well. He is a wonderful individual.

Catalina:

Max, her sire:

 

[Kathy2m]

Do a google search on Haflingers you will finds LOTs of info on them there is a haflinger forum on yahoo that can help you with your decision, not saying to get one or not, I'm looking for 1. I have looked at 6, 2 were very bad, the others bad conformation, one too much money for a trail horse, 1 I really like going to go back and look at her again, but I know a lot of them are used in therapy programs. The most important is to go to a reputable person and tell them you want a kid safe horse, good breeders/trainers will not risk a bad reputation over one horse. Good Luck, Kathy