Austria has nine living horse breeds and one extinct horse breed.
Note: Austria-Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire and by other names, was a constitutional union of the Empire of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary that existed from 1867 to 1918, when it collapsed as a result of defeat in World War I. Today, we consider Austria and Hungary separate countries.
Austria is the home to one of the most famous and oldest riding schools on the planet, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. This time honored establishment is also home to a ballerina of the horse world, the graceful Lipizzaner horse. The school was named in honor of the Spanish animals which form the base of the Lipizzan breed. The original breeding farm, Lipica, was created in the year 1580 in what was at that time part of the Austrian Empire (now in present times the country of Slovenia).
Another well known breed to come out of Austria is the handsome and peppy Haflinger. This breed originated in mountainous regions and was bred not only for utility but for an agreeable temperament. Because of this dutiful breeding, the Haflinger is known for their docile and agreeable temperament as much as they are for their lovely golden locks.
The sixth-century Ostrogoths created this Austrian horsebreed by crossing Arabians with Alpine ponies. Austrians call them “princes in front, peasants behind,” because they have beautiful heads and muscular hindquarters.
There are five clearly-defined horse-breeding districts in Austria, and the Government takes special care to distribute their stallions so as to suit the existing local conditions. The Pinzgauer is one of the best and most typical of Austrian breeds.
Named after the former Roman province of Noricum, an area which roughly approximates the current boundaries of Austria, the Noriker horses are the oldest horse breed from Austria and were already known in the empire of Charlemagne.
A
- Abtenauer
- Altösterreichisches Warmblut
H
- Haflinger
- Huzule
L
- Lipizzaner
N
- Noriker
O
- Österreichisches Warmblut
P
- Pinkafo or Pinkafeld (Hungary) (extinct)
Q
- Quarter Horse
S
- Shagya-Araber
V
- Vollblutaraber