Radiant faces all round at the 44th Sleigh Racing and Skijoring County Championship: On a sun-spoilt 13 February 2022, participants and viewers alike were beaming with excitement at the prospect of the racing day ahead. The event was hosted by the South Tyrol Haflinger Sports Association in collaboration with the Val Sarentino/Sarntal Haflinger Sports Association.

After a year-long break due to the pandemic, everybody was happily raring to go. And, in spite of mild temperatures and a lack of snow at the Rabensteiner inn and farmstead in the Val Sarentino/Sarntal valley, the hosts had managed to provide a perfectly groomed track. As tradition demands, the contest was opened with the Three-Year-Old Mares’ sleigh races, followed by the 4- to 5-Year-Olds’ category and, finally, the Older Mares. Scoring a remarkable hat-trick, Haflinger breeder Alfons Kofler from Renon/Ritten swept the board: With Alois Egger – a well and truly seasoned driver – in the sleigh, Kofler’s horses won all three of the racing categories. CALINDA, ALISSIA and ROSARIA are all bred out of his mare FURINA. The Skijoring contest only had two categories: CAYA D’OR won the Three-Year-Old Mares’ race, while VIOLA came in first in the Older Mares category.

Next up for our athletic Haflinger mares are the traditional Easter Monday gallop races on 18 April 2022 in Merano/Meran. See you there!