The Alps have always been the home of the Noriker breed. Most of these horses can now be found in their region of origin around Salzburg. In South Tyrol, Noriker horses are mainly kept and bred in Val Pusteria/Pustertal and in the Ladinian mountain valleys. Due to the advancing mechanisation of the 1970s, the number of Noriker in South Tyrol strongly decreased over a long period of time. In the last 10 years, however, the population of the breed has notably grown again. Its reliable character has also earned it an ever increasing popularity as a leisure riding horse in the provinces of Trento, Belluno, Verona and Rovigo.
