The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11
A PLAYFUL BREED OF HORSES.
The Hamingers, That Are Found i'm
the TyrOI Mountains.
The London News.

iHc l4otlnOu AN6Wo.
OF horses the most companionable are
doubtless Arabs, They have lived for
generations in the tents of their masters,
and have assimilated human ways of
thought. Barbs and halfbred Arabs in
Europe run the pure Arabs very close In
this respect. They make noble friends.
but on a lower level. AS playmates for the
lighter hour, / know no breed that comes
up to the Haflinger. In che Tyrolese VAL
ley from which they take their name I
suppose they live as do the ValvognIan
cows with theirs But they are exported
far and wide. An Austrian baron who
buys them UP and does what he can to-
lmpart style" and fine manners 90 these
queer looking cobs. has sold two to the
Prince of Wales. The travelling carriages
of Switzerland are largely horsed by Haf-
fingers. In chat populous health resort,
Meran, they do nearly all the draughE
work. Cob" Is perhaps a misnomex.
They are cobs in their low measurements
from the ground but big horses as regards
grth, length OF body and size of hoof-
The heads are huge and very plain.
Haningers have been compared with
hppopotami and giant sea horses" and
with very good reason. Spiritually they
are described as "the dachshunden of the
stables" because daxies are 1.-THE ways OF
the kennel" 1t may be that people have
refused TO take seriously the oddly shaped
horses and the oddly shaped dogs, and
that both have thus come TO look upon
themselves as a good joke. Comicahty
sits in the Hafflngers little eye. He
laughs in his sleeve, just like a daxie-
Both waddle In their gait, owing TO their
absurdly short legs
Hahlingers ought to make the fortune of
any circus master. They dixie daxles
again delight In playing tricks, and Will
learn rough games such as schoolbbys
love, and will play them, too, strictly
according to rule / have watched two
Hafllngers, with their owner and his man.
playing sort of hide-and-seek hurrying
and scurrying, about cobble-paved yard
in pursuit OF the men, Loyalty abiding by
the marks that meant safe home" and
never furnishing a player that had not
blundered. They understood that they .
might kick or bite the man, who (being
hidden, sought and found. failed to run
fast enough to a safe home" One who
was not quick enough / saw taken up by
the waistcoat shaken gently and dropped.
kneeling, none the worsel The horses
who were playing were over Y years old.
They relinquished the game most reluc-
family when their breathless owner call
ed 'rimep and enforced his meaning
with nOuflsHeS OF a IOfHluaDie Iouf-ln-
hand whip. Then these mature but mo-
Bile boys at play" rushed for each other
squealing like pigs in articolo mortis.
showing enormous rows of teeth, twist
ing around in sudden gyrations to lash
out at each other, one sometimes catching
the others hogged name or getting a
pinch Of his smooth coat In a bite, but
never doing real mischief!
One of the two l speak of taught lit
tie game 10 a rider; and insisted on play
ing It, TO while away the tedium OF a
three hours ascent at foot's pace. The
game on the horses part consisted in
catching the riders toe between his teeth.
IT was the riders part TO prevent this.
All the way up hill the rider had the best
of II. But, returning by the almost per-
pendicular track, the Hafiilnger gained an
easy victory. He did not squeeze the boot,
but shook It as you might shake friends
hand-heartily, not roughly-and for the
remainder Of the road he rested on his
laurels. playing no more that day.
Hafilingers show their affection by law
ishly kissing with the tongue, like dogs.
They are extremely -willed-again a
trait IN common with the dachshcnd.
Their PAGES are necessarily slow, but their
staying power is enormous and their sure
footedness a proverb with Tyroicse sloLn- !.
tain guides and drivers