"but it didn't hurt because haflingers are tough!"

What a joke....he wasn't so tough the time he thought a log was crocodile, when we met the endurance horses and when we met the hedge cutter I can tell you! Tough my hoof!

One day about a year or so ago we were calmly walking along when all of a sudden haffy features starts "squealing help, help a crocodiles going to get me!" Now you know as well as I do that there are no wild crocs in England but did that stop the fool? He spun round and tried and run away from said Crocodile (which looked suspiciously like a log to me) managing to part company with dad in doing so. Something I am grudgingly rather jealous of as all my attempts to loose my rider to date have failed. But dad was new to the riding game back then so of course it was much easier for him! Anyhow the silly fool came and hid behind me and that's when the Piers de Resistance occured. As mum jumped off to catch Harry I managed to jump into her just as she landed and knocked her over.... am I a star or am I star!

Once all reunited and with him being so 'Tough' it won't surprise you to hear that old haffy features had to hide behind me to pass the 'crocodile' with dad in between him and it. Even then he still tried to shove past me and run clear.

The Endurance horse episode was even better! Silly mum had got her timings wrong and suddenly a lovely quiet hack found us right slap bang in the middle of The Bahrain Cup, an FEI 160 km Endurance race ride. One minute I was quietly walking along enjoying the scenery while Harry and dad lagged behind, the next minute haffy features was galloping towards me like the hounds from hell were after him........of course yours truly could see this wasn't the case and it was just a few endurance horses trotting along but try telling him that.....it was down to me to save the day by blocking his way and giving him my very best glare of 'if you dare bump into me or barge through I'll sort you out later'. It worked a treat and they stopped, with dad still intact...although he dismounted rather quickly.....but then the silly fool decided he fancied being an endurance horse and wanted to take part in the race too and took ages to be persuaded otherwise. 160km when you could be eating and chilling at home, urggghhh, NO THANK YOU. Think mum has an endurance career in mind for me but we'll see, it's far too much like hard work and besides going faster than a walk means you can't admire the view. Oh did I mention that this time it was dad who squealed like a big girl....my mum nearly choked with laughter.

The hedge cutter was really a repeat incident of the endurance horses. It had been cutting the hedge all day, we could see it from our field, but once again haffy features decided to leg it and yours truly had to give the glare...and yes dad did squeal again...he's so embarrassing...I mean people i know heard him and everything...it doesn't do your field cred much good I can tell you.

Welcome To Our World

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

I think we'd better start by introducing ourselves and as I'm oldest I will go first. My name is Harry and i'm a Haflinger.
Up until just over 3 years ago no one use to love me. I went from dealer to sale to dealer to sale until I hated people and the rough way they treat me so much I decided that I wouldn't let them touch me any more. Then I just got left in a big field with lots of other horses who came and went, (and a burnt out car or two), and no one came near me. My feet started to get very overgrown and cracked until it looked like I had very long cloven feet. Then one day some people came to see me, they wern't rough like the others but they went away after a while. Then a few days later the horrible rough man came and caught me and helped the nice people to 'bundle' me into yet another box on wheels. There was a big yummy haynet inside...I had never seen so much hay before and got down to some munching. The box stopped after a while and another horse came and joined me...he said oi your eating MY hay but I ignored him as I was rather hungry and you just didn't know when hay like this would be available again. The box on wheels set off again and my new friend Murphy was scared but I looked after him and told him it would stop eventually, I had been in rather a lot of these you see, but he kept shouting for his friends. Eventually it stopped and the nice people from before were there still and told me I was going to be called Harry and that this was to be our new home. It was very nice with lots of grass and hay and a bucket with yummy carrots and chop and alfa beet. Murphy kept telling me his mummy and daddy were very nice and not scary but I wasn't sure so I kept a good distance and only let them touch my head and shoulder sometimes. After a week I decided it was okay as long as they didn't go near my back end or feet and shortly after a man came and stuck a needle in me, but it didn't hurt because haflingers are tough! Then I started to feel very sleepy and a nasty man came and made me pick up my sore feet and he trimmed them until they felt much better, but I was very scared and fought a lot. The nice people came every day twice or sometimes more to see me and brought buckets of food, hay and lots of goodies too. I started to feel much better and decided they wern't so bad and after a few weeks I started to let them brush me and touch my front legs but the not back ones. The 'nasty' man who picked up my feet, and the one with the sleepy needle, kept coming but I still fought them because I was not sure. My dad had a funny stick with a glove on it and kept rubbing and prodding me with it until one day I got fed up and decided that if I let them touch my legs they might get rid of the silly stick, and I'm such a clever boy because it worked. My daddy then started putting me one of those funny disguises Murphy wore on too...It made me look blue and Murphy acted all strange but it made me feel warm and snuggly and Murphy realised it was me after a few mins...he is silly you know.I didn't let them pick up my back legs for quite a long time, because you see I was 6 and had lots of bad memories to forget, but after about 9 months I began to forget the bad times and got to quite like my mum and dad. Now they say I am a big teddy bear, what ever one of those is, and I like to follow them round and show my appreciation of them giving me a chance when no one else would by knocking over the barrow when it's full or by including them when we play chase and jump on each other (they pretend they don't like it when I do that, but I know they do really...who in their right mind dosen't enjoy that game I ask you? ). The man dosen't need to come and give me the sleepy needle anymore and I am a good boy when I have my feet trimmed and I don't think the farrier is a nasty man anymore. I always try to lean on him so he can build up his muscles and show how strong he is! My dad rides me now too and I try to be a good boy for him and look after him, like he looked after me, because I can tell he hasn't a clue and he lets me do as I please but I am too good to take advantage. Sometimes I get scared but my mum and Murphy try to keep monsters at bay for us. Murphy is very silly sometimes but he dosen't know what it is like to not be loved...sometimes he even tries to kick mum when he is cross with her....I think he is a bit mean but I love him so forgive him when he bites me too.....I never bite or kick now because I don't need to anymore and my mum and dad say I will live with them until I am an old man and Murphy is a grumpy old git!
Now you know my story I will go and eat some hay and let Murphy have his say.