This weeks horse is from Austria & they are so rare that you may not know of them. The Abtenauer is the smallest variation of the Noriker horse & like many of the European draft animals, their population numbers are very low in the 21st century.
Isolated & Pure
These animals come from & are named for the isolated valley of Abtenau in Austria. It is believed they may have originally come from Greek war mounts that were left in the region when no longer needed. Smaller in stature for a draft breed, the Abtenauer is beautifully built with excellent balance & a consistently sweet disposition.
The Abtenauer is prized for their gentle bearing & easy attitude.
Nature’s Way
Mares & their progeny spend summers roaming alpine meadows to graze the way they have for centuries. Sometimes foals are born with a very curly coat, which they shed when they loose their baby hair. In the winter they are rounded up & provided with protection from the harsh local weather. Local weather makes this breed robust, however the Abtenauer is in danger of extinction, their numbers are very low, putting them on our Dangerously Rare list.
Learning More
Be sure to check out our own Abtenauer page – we couldn’t find any official sites for this breed (in English anyway). The video below isn’t in English either, but gives you a good idea where the breed comes from.
Have Pictures?
As of now we have no images of the Abtenauer for our informative page on them. If you have images (or information about the breed – including an official website) you’d be interested in sharing, please get in touch today.