Photos: Felix Spiess – Photo gallery

Rarely have so many members attended the annual general meeting: On Saturday 23 March, the Raiffeisensaal hall in Terlano/Terlan was filled almost to capacity, with countless breeders – both young talents and old hands – as well as a number of guests of honour in attendance.

The atmosphere, too, was very good: Chairman Erich Messner and Director Michael Gruber provided an account 2023, a successful year characterised by several high-calibre events that the breeders’ community helped shape and organise with great passion. Demand and sales figures are impressive, and the number of registered horses has remained constant over the years, as have membership figures – with a slight increase in the last year.

After nine years of service, Dr Erich Messner handed the presidential baton over to Manfred Canins – together with a solidly-run Federation. Canins was unanimously elected as the new Chairman and welcomed to his new post with congratulations by the numerous guests of honour in attendance, among them the Provincial Councillor for Agriculture and Tourism, Luis Walcher, alongside local MP Franz Locher, Alberich Hofer of the South Tyrolean Farmers’ Union and Heiko Hauser, mayor of Sluderno/Schluderns – all of whom complimented the professional approach to managing the Federation. WHBSF President Lukas Scheiber also added praise for the South Tyrolean Federation’s strong cooperation across borders.

The new Chairman reportedly plans to continue down that same path, stressing the importance of good collaborations. With his background as a marketing expert, his specialist emphasis will be on communication and positioning the Haflinger breed with a focus on its strengths. And his first chance to shine is already approaching fast: the Haflinger Festival held from 31 May to 02 June in Sluderno/Schluderns!
 

The new Administrative Board

Chairman: Manfred Canins
Vice-Chairman: Alexander Rier
Board members: Thomas Alfreider, Josef De Zordo, Lukas Gröber (Noriker breeders' representative), Peter Gruber, Georg Höller, Albert Hutter, Tobias Marth, Katja Müller, Christian Plattner, Wolfgang Wendlinger, Christoph Zöggeler (Representative of the South Tyrol Haflinger Sports Association), Peter Zöggeler, Tobias Zöggeler (Representative of the South Tyrol Young Haflinger and Noriker Breeders' Association)