Intro
The Noriker or Noric horse has been breed in the Alpine region & foothills of Austria for the last 2000 years.
Origins
This breed originally comes from Greece, where they bred heavy war horses, a tradition the Romans adopted and traveled with. The original Noriker’s came with the Romans during their conquest of the area. The animals that remained were bred and slowly evolved to better suit the local natural conditions and a heavy Alpine type began.
Kept in natural mountain conditions at 6000 ft, the animals are raised outside year round and seldom given extra feed. This has created an extremely hardy animal
About 400 years ago the once unmonitored breeding of the Noriker stopped and came under strict regulations. A stud book was founded and stud farms established specifically for the pure breeding of the Noric horse. Interestingly enough forestry int the Alpine conditions still requires horses to power it, Alpine conditions are not always conducive to heavy machinery. So the 20th century has not dented their numbers as it has so many other draft breeds.
Features
Average height 15.1 – 16.3 hands
Physique
Head is dry with draft characteristics
Neck is strong & muscular
Shoulder is long and well positioned
Chest is broad & deep
Legs are correct with clean joints & little feathering
Traditional Colors
chestnut | bay | black | roan | appaloosa
Temperament
Adaptable & peaceful
Calm & true
Use
Work horse
Draft horse
Forestry
Meat production
Equestrian sport
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