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Wer beim Wort Haflinger an eine Pferderasse mit heller Mähne denkt, liegt richtig. Auch jene, die beim Haflinger vordergründig ein kleines, nahezu unverwüstliches Geländefahrzeug assoziieren, haben recht. Der Terminus Haflinger steht für beides, der Begriff für derartige Doppeldeutigkeiten heißt übrigens Homonym. Andere Beispiele wären Strom, Tau, Himmel, um nur ein paar Begriffe zu nennen. So unterschiedlich sie auch sind, so haben beide Haflinger doch auch Gemeinsamkeiten: Sie dienen der Fortbewegung, haben vier Beine respektive vier Füße und sind im alpinen Raum besonders erfolgreich. Grund genug, jene zwei Bücher, die sich dem Tier und dem Kraftfahrzeug widmen, im Detail zu betrachten.
Gottfried Brem, full professor of animal breeding and genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, is the editor of the large-format, comprehensive book Haflinger in the Mirror of Science (584 pages), which combines 25 chapters. The home of the horse, which is now widespread worldwide, is in South Tyrol, the country on the Etsch, where the breed has been bred since the late 18th century. In the introduction (page 13) a historical travel guide from 1845 is quoted: "The so-called Haflinger horses are a light breed of their own, trained on mountain paths and used excellently for hemming and riding."
The quote from the "Messenger for Tyrol and Vorarlberg, September 3, 1875 [page 2]" reads almost poetically, in which the "brown or chestnut-colored horse with an oriental head shape, barely 14 fists high" is described as "reliable and safe for the comfort of the tired summer visitor who seeks the heights of the mountains on the dewless porphyry paths of the Etschland". In a word: the Haflinger had all the advantages one could wish for in an Alpine country.
Erich Messner describes details about the origin and development of the Haflinger breed up to 1918 in the first chapter. Further, meticulously researched sections describe in chronological order the development of breeding in Austria and South Tyrol, including the Nazi era (Chapter 5), up to neighboring Slovenia (Chapter 10). The use of Haflinger horses in the Federal Army is also presented here (Chapter 22).
The success of the Haflinger, which is the last and youngest horse breed to emerge during the monarchy, lies in its versatility, as explained in Chapter 11 ("The breeding goal of the Haflinger through the ages"). While military, work-technical and economic aspects shaped breeding in the early days, Haflingers later also impressed "in dressage, jumping, eventing, driving competitions, western competitions, gallop or harness racing" (page 226).
Organized breeding of Haflinger horses began in Tyrol over 100 years ago, specifically in 1921. The first address for this is the Fohlenhof Ebbs (Chapter 12). The Haflinger World Breeding and Sporting Association (HWZSV), founded in 2013, underlines the fact that Haflingers are now known and loved far beyond Austria. The photos on pages 534f. Haflingers show themselves in sled races and skijoring, which once again proves their versatility. Also matching is Figure 379 with Haflinger horses playing horse football. In short: Whatever challenge may come, Haflingers can be counted on.
The establishment of the Federal Army began soon after the conclusion of the State Treaty. The initial military equipment came from the four occupying powers, especially the USA. The declared goal, however, was to cover the army's motor vehicle inventory through the domestic motor vehicle industry. “At least in the 1950s and 1960s, 88% of the defense budget flowed into the domestic economy, securing around 30,000 jobs,” writes Walter Blasi in the introduction on page 10 of his book The Steyr-Puch Haflinger of the Austrian Armed Forces. Further in the text: "The introduction of the Haflinger to the armed forces was the first successful step on the way to replacing the outdated foreign motor vehicles with models from domestic production."
But before the “Haflinger Type 700 AP” (AP stands for work platform) went into series production in 1959, the first prototypes were built and put through their paces. The first prototype of the Steyr-Puch Haflinger was built as early as 1956. When local military officials saw the small vehicle, they expressed interest and drew up a specifications sheet. In 1957, work began on building an open, all-wheel-drive small passenger car with an air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine (600 cm³ and 19 hp) developed by Puch. The supporting element was a central chassis with swing axles. The first prototypes weighed 600 kilos and were built for a payload of 500 kilos. From September 2, 1958, two vehicles underwent a tough test period, which Blasi impressively describes in the chapter "In testing with the Federal Army" (from page 20).
Despite numerous setbacks when testing the first models, they were not discouraged and continued to work on perfection. From 1959 until production stopped in 1974, 16,647 Haflingers were manufactured; from 1967 they were built as Series II with some technical improvements. In the first five years of series production alone, the Federal Army acquired 2918 Steyr-Puch Haflingers.
In the extremely richly illustrated book, the Haflinger is shown in all situations, sometimes in the field, sometimes on the Vienna Ringstrasse in a parade, sometimes with celebrities such as the English Queen Elizabeth II (page 44) during her state visit in 1969 or the Shah of Persia, Reza Pahlevi (page 45). The Army Haflinger was also available painted white (page 60) for United Nations missions. Pages 74 and 75 show both Haflingers, the motor vehicle and the blonde horses, in army use. The informative caption reads: "The name of the Federal Army is derived from the well-proven mountain horse; the name 'Haflinger' came about spontaneously during a demonstration."
Not only the domestic army relied on Haflingers, the armies of Switzerland and Sweden were just as convinced as those of Kuwait, Indonesia, Italy and Nigeria. They all ordered the vehicle for their purposes. Specially adapted Haflingers were on board British Royal Navy aircraft carriers to tow helicopters and aircraft on the deck. Similar to its animal "brother", the vehicle was also extremely changeable and adaptable. Blasi says on page 100: "The explanations, whether civil or military, are diverse - you could almost say: no two Haflingers are the same."
Conclusion: The monograph Haflinger in the Mirror of Science brings together all aspects, especially those of breeding, in great detail. The Steyr-Puch Haflinger of the Austrian Armed Forces is an image-rich, informative overview in landscape format of the successful vehicle that was developed for the army, but also found numerous uses in the civilian sector. (Thomas Hofmann, May 2, 2025)