Those are very interesting observations and I think they're right on the money! I know both of my guys have gone through numerous changes since they were weanlings and they continue to change now at age 7 and 9, respectively. If I keep their weight down and keep them fit, they look very different and much better than when I let them slack off and get too heavy. And they perform better, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. They're much more willing and capable when they're in shape. I'm training both of mine in dressage and we're starting to do some baby jumps. But first and foremost, mine are carriage ponies. It's a decided advantage when it comes to getting them in shape fast. I hitch them up together and say 'Trot it off, boys'. LOL! I can bring them back from too-chunky to classic in about a week with that method. :-).... OK, before anybody gets their knickers in a knot, I really do know all about conditioning a horse and I don't actually do it that abruptly.
I bet your filly is gorgeous. I remember when you first got her and joined this list. It's nice to hear that it's going so well. It would be great to see some photos if you have any to share.
Would that movie be called "The Scarlet and the Black" by any chance? I did a quick search of Gregory Peck movies on Netflix and that came up. It's set in Rome during the Nazi occupation. I'd like to see it if it has Haflingers in it.
Best wishes,
Karen Harper
Florida
--- In haflingerfriends@yahoogroups.com, "Reasonable Beast" <reasonablebeast@...> wrote:
>
> I've been dipping in and out of reading about the modern versus classic Haflinger. I'm going on three years as a Haflinger owner and have always found this discussion somewhat confusing. I own one of the modern 'lighter-boned' Haflingers. When she was three years old and her muscles undeveloped, she resembled the photos people usually direct me to when describing a lighter Haflinger---which is usually a horse in its gangly stage, not particularly fit in the gymnastic sense. However....my mare, two years under saddle, now resembles the photos many here share as an example of the classic kind! Her body has rounded up and she's fit as a fiddle and very athletic. Some who haven't seen her in awhile think I have a different horse.
>
> I just wonder if this discussion even matters! If you own a Haflinger to be a serious sport pony, then you don't want to start out with a rotund, flat-withered horse with the shorter legs....I know someone who has the 'classic' kind of Haflinger, bought as a eventing pony, and now that he's developing his topline, he's struggling with dressage and higher jumping due to his ever-growing curves. A 'modern' Haflinger, lighter boned, when gymnasticized the same way will develop curves but not to the extent that it impedes its performance.
>
> What's interesting is that the 'classic' Haflingers I know who are ridden sporadically, who are fit but not extreme athletes.........look very much like 'modern' Haflingers who are athletes and who have developed their musculature.
>
> By the way, there is an old movie that has...I think Gregory Peck?....filmed in Europe in the 1950's. There are Haflingers shown extensively in this film in the background both in a sort of alpine environment and under saddle. They resemble the 'lighter' Haflinger we see these days, rather than the shorter, thick-set kind. If anyone can remember the title of this movie (I can't) it would be interesting to see again as an example of what the breed looked like back then. I'm sure they're Haflingers, as there were scores of chesnut/flaxen-maned ponies and lots of German accents being spoken by the actors.
>
> Viktoria
>
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