> could be, or perhaps the haflinger build doesn't > lend itself to carrying > men's weights the same way iceys' do?
I don't think that would be the reason. Austria has big horses, so there's no need for men to ride the ponies, if they don't want to. I think that Fjords and Haflingers both have more weight-carrying ability than Icelandics because of their bone, and the strength of their backs and hindquarters. Why we might hear that Icelandics can carry men, but we don't necessarily hear it about Haflingers and Fjords, is that men in those countries don't have to ride them as they have other options in big horses (i.e Lipizzans, Dole). And there's no push to sell them in that way. Judy
