Haflingers are said to originate from San Genesio. The inaccessible high Alpine pastures and forests on Monzoccolo called for a particularly agile, robust and light-footed horse. In the middle of the 19th century the “blonde” horses became characteristic for San Genesio and Monzoccolo. The horses got their name from the Monzoccolo community of Avelengo, Hafling in German. In 1904 the 1st Haflinger Breeders Association was founded in Meltina. The book of dams and stallions created for this purpose includes 250 Haflingers. The statutes and the book of dams and stallions prove that Haflingers were formally bred as early as around 1900. Some criteria, such as name, date of birth, markings, height, waist and shin as well as references to the owner and to covers are in parts still used today.
