Haflingers

[happy haffys]

Hi,

Does anybody else's haffy go quite chestnut in the winter? Had Etta in June & she was palamino, but has gone almost 'Foxy' now her witner coat is through. I'm not complaining as she looks gorgeous, but haven't got a clue if this is normal!

Thanks :D

[xox stace xox]

ye honey has gone really chestnutty in colour, very dark and bright but the same happened last year think its normal :)

[Wally]

P-lease, dscribing a Haflinger as Palomino is a crime punishable by hanging drawing and quartering by the Haff Soc. ;) You get the same hissy fit if you describe a mini spotted as a Shetland, blue lights go up over the stud book HQ! ;)

Mine used to go much darker in winter in their winter woolies.

[raggydoll]

My two are a loverly bright orange now!! They are a much paler golden colour in the summer, theres quite a difference in the colour!

[Berry]

Yep summer coat is golden brown with dapples, winter coat is chestnut and very thick - our boy is now looking very smart with a 'go-faster' trace clip :D

[lachlanandmarcu]

Yeaaaahhh, you get 2 for the price of one with haffies.

Mine is pale golder in summer and mid-dark chestnut in winter, with the flaxen mane'n'tail of course.

but never pally!!

[chev]

Hafflinger - palomino?!! Tis blasphemy! :D

Actually, they're never palomino - there is no cream gene in Haffies, which is what caused palomino. The changes are basically normal seasonal chestnut changes. They get mistaken for palomino because they carry flaxen, so mane and tail are always blonde, and some have body colour similar to pallies.

[Palomino Mare]

i dont have a haffy but my palomino goes very light in the winter and my chestnut goes very dark;)

[Troi]

My palomino is golden in summer and cream in winter. Is that normal I've only had her since Easter?
Chev could you explain the flaxen mane/tail please the genetics site I got info from didn't go into m/t colour apart from bay. Thanks.

[chev]

Very normal. This is my palomino; winter coat is very pale;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/FatAndy.jpg

summer coat, much deeper gold;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/barbiepone.jpg (baby harrassing him is his chestnut daughter!)

Flaxen is thought to be a recessive gene that lightens mane and tail in chestnut horses. So a horse with two copies of flaxen and a chestnut base will be flaxen chestnut; a horse with flaxen but a black or bay base would show no signs of it. That is just theory though; the genetics controlling mane and tail shades are not that well understood.

[Troi]

Thanks very much. I've been trying to sort out cattle genetics too. The dun gene in different breeds is different and the dilute gene is not on the same locus as horses so I'll have to be careful not to get mixed up:D:D
Wonder what my farmer friends would say if I started on about tobiano black simmentals with a dilute gene!! I think I have a couple. Chocolate and white
If I ever get into pics I'll put on some of the cows for you. Poor Chev :)

[dunrobin_topper]

A question to all Hafflinger owners!

I was just wondering what they are like temperment, ability for ridden work etc as i have only ever met two ponies and both have proved to be real characters!

The first belonged to my friend who bought one for her daughter. She was perfectly fine for just ridden work in our out door arena but then when we started hacking out she was just awful! She reared constantly when ridden and when led! they tried lots of groundwork, spent alot of time trying to get the pony to listen and trust them but she was still the same. She was sold to them as a first pony so their daughter was having weekly lessons but they had to stop as she got sweet itch and the rearing started again. They contacted the previous owner and were told had been too 'nice' to her (?) and they had over fed her (she was on really sparce grazing at the time). They had kept her in at night due to the midges (which they neglected to tell my friend!) so they decided to change her routine to see if that helped them. But it didnt it made the situation worse! In the end my friend had to ride her herself but the pony was just unrideable (is that a word??) and dangerous as she had thrown her off by bucking and her daughter too and then bolted home! In the end they had to for safety reasons take her back to her previous owner (a dealer). So sad cos she was a lovley pony until they tried to ride her! :(

The second is a recent addition to the yard, he came from the same owner (dealer). He belongs to other owners at the yard who mainly want to do pony club. However, they trialed him at the dealers yard and everything was fine, however he has to be led in a bridle everywhere otherwise he tanks off! He is ridden in a dutch gag as he is VERY strong. He has already proven his strength when ridden in and out the school.

Are all haffies like this?? They seem to be very very opinionated and more stubborn than my welsh cob! and very strong too. Are they suitable childs ponies as i think i wouldnt even manage to ride one!!

Any info is greatly appreciated!!

[burness_21]

my haffie can be quite bolshy on the ground but when being ridden she is perfect. never bucks bolts or rears great for giving me confidence

[Wally]

They are not the breed they were 30 years ago. Bac then the temperament was far more reliable.

I have seen a lot of modern, light legged Haflingers doing airs above the ground!

[lachlanandmarcu]

I got my Haflinger as a second horse and she was 3 and had not been broken or lunged BUT she had been handled well+had a great environment/people and a great mum she lived with until she came home with us.:)

She has been the nicest and easiest horse to back and bring on you could imagine, no trouble at all (really) , and is now 4 1/2 and eg today we went for a lovely hack by ourselves.:D

She is talkative and cheeky - very much a pony but quite prepared to be told what is what- but we have had the chance to be consistent and kind with her from Day1 (and my instructor is v good with youngsters)as we were lucky enough to have her early in her life.

Im sure your bad experience must have been due to a bad experience in the horses past or people not instilling respect in the horse when it was young. Haffies like most pony big native breeds will easily go wrong if not treated with firmness and kindness in equal measure!:)
I do not think they are ideal as childrens ponies as they are powerful for their size and opinionated and quite child like themselves. A bit like the evil Thelwell ponies waiting to tread on the childs foot!

Mine is no different, she seems to see small children as the only creatures she can push around in a field- I wouldnt send a small child into her field alone. I think they would be fine for an older child or a mother/child share.

I do think that there is overproduction of Haffies (esp imported ones ) and they are ALL sold as ideal family cobs solid as a rock etc etc which not all will be just by the law of averages!

[raggydoll]

i have 2 haffy's both traditionally heavy built but very different personalities. Bim is super sensible, reliable, calm, kind, deals with everything thrown at her calmly ans sensibly and really looks after her rider.
Hattie is spooky and silly but not at all dangerous, definitely not your tradtitional level headed haffy!! She hacks with her head mostly in the air snorting and jumping at everything, this combined with the haffy streak of stubbornness makes her a little more challenging :p
On the ground the clear difference between them seems to be that hattie is very aware of her strengthh and how she can use it against me (like dragging, barging etc) where as Bim appears mostly oblivious of this!!! Staying on top of groundwork seems to do the trick tho.
Like any breed i don't think you can judge them all by the same standards really, its just about choosing the right personality for you so don't let your experience put you off them :)

[Dancinglite]

Hafflinger - palomino?!! Tis blasphemy! :D

Actually, they're never palomino - there is no cream gene in Haffies, which is what caused palomino. The changes are basically normal seasonal chestnut changes. They get mistaken for palomino because they carry flaxen, so mane and tail are always blonde, and some have body colour similar to pallies.


Except I have seen a picture of a pure white haffy!

[Wally]

What colour were his eys? Blue, Pink, brown or.......?

[Dancinglite]

What colour were his eys? Blue, Pink, brown or.......?


Here is the thread with more pictures, story and breeding.

http://www.themanestreet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50001

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v398/Erinof1973/Horses/Laceyinfield.jpg

[Dlux]

I suspect most haflingers have the sabino gene based on the look of the blaze (many wide ones and white on the bottom lip which is a sabino trait). I would suspect that this is a max sabino.

Or, whatever caused the mutation of the horn on the head also caused the lack of pigment in the coat. Maybe mom got into something toxic? Who knows.

[chev]

Except I have seen a picture of a pure white haffy!

Cream doesn't cause white coats. Double dilutes have very very pale cream coats, but it's not white. But crucially in this case, all double dilutes have blue eyes; no exceptions, and the pic you posted clearly has dark eyes. Not, therefore, a result of the cream gene.

I suspect it's either a random mutation (possible connected to the horn) or a maximum sabino - Haffies do carry sabino, and sabino is usually expressed more loudly on a chestnut coat (as all Haffies have...)