The Haflinger horse is part of South Tyrol’s cultural heritage. It originated on the Tschögglberg plateau. The municipality of Hafling, located on the Tschögglberg, gave the breed its name. In 1904, the first Haflinger horse breeding cooperative was founded in Mölten. The studbook established at that time included 250 Haflinger horses. The statutes and the studbook show that organized breeding of Haflingers was already practiced around 1900. Some criteria such as name, date of birth, markings, etc. are still partly used today.

The Haflinger developed with its characteristic traits – sure-footedness, robustness, frugality, endurance, and a gentle temperament – as a working horse, used to reach even the most remote farms along difficult mountain paths and to assist with work in fields, farms, and forests.

With the mechanization of agriculture, the Haflinger became part of tradition as well as leisure and festive culture.