Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH

Umbrella organisation for Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland

Impasse des Chênes 12 – 1784 Courtepin | haflinger@huzb.ch | www.huzb.ch

CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW

Development of Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland

From the beginnings to the founding of Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH (2026)

1. THE HAFLINGER BREED – ORIGINS AND BASICS

1.1 Origin of the breed and stud book

Period / Date	Event / Development
1874	Stallion 249 Folie is considered the founder of the Haflinger breed. All modern-day Haflingers trace their lineage back to him.
7 bloodlines	Line founders: A – Anselmo (1926), B – Bolzano (1915), M – Massimo (1927), N – Nibbio (1920), S – Stelvio (1923), St – Student (1927), W – Willi (1921).
UZB – Original Stud Book	The Original Stud Book (UZB) is maintained by the Haflinger Horse Breeding Association of Tyrol (HPT). It is the world’s leading organisation for the breed.
Pure breeding	Exclusively purebred and selected. Foreign breeds are not permitted. Maximum full-blooded Arabian content of 1.56% over 6 generations.

1.2 Breed characteristics

• Golden coat colour with long white hair – the breed’s global visual symbol.

• Versatile use: riding, driving and working horse.

• Height at withers: Mares: 145–150 cm | Stallions: 146–152 cm.

• Good-natured, undemanding, capable and willing to perform.

2. THE THREE ORIGINAL BREED REGISTER ORGANISATIONS (UZB)

Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH represents the three internationally recognised UZB organisations in Switzerland:

UZB organisation	Responsibility / Recognition
HPT – Haflinger Horse Breeding Association Tyrol	Maintains the stud book of origin. Recognised by the Tyrolean Animal Breeding Authority on 17 March 2014 for Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Salzburg. Extended to all EU Member States (except Hungary and Italy) on 8 January 2015. Revised breeding programme approved in October 2020, valid from 1 January 2021.
A.N.A.C.R.HA.I. – South Tyrol	Breeding Association for the Haflinger breed in South Tyrol / Italy. Recognised and represented by the Haflinger Pentagon as a Breeding Association.
FN – Germany	Branch stud book organisation in accordance with EU Regulation 2016/1012. Recognised and represented by the Haflinger Pentagon as a branch stud book.

Note: The SHV (Swiss Haflinger Association), the only recognised body in Switzerland, represents only 1 UZB (A.N.A.C.R.HA.I.), whilst Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH represents all 3 UZBs and applies the HPT breeding programme.

3. DEVELOPMENT OF HAFLINGER HORSE BREEDING IN SWITZERLAND

3.1 Golden Age (up to approx. 2004)

Period	State of breeding
Until approx. 2004	Strong and active Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland. Several hundred foals registered annually. Two breeding associations active: SHV and Ha-psss. The Haflinger is recognised as the third Swiss horse breed supported by the federal government, alongside the Freiberger and the Warmblood.

3.2 Decline and crisis (2004–2019)

Period / Date	Event
2004–2019	Continuous decline in the number of foals. Over 15 years: a decline of approx. 400 foals. This corresponds to a slump in breeding activity of almost 90%.
2018	Ha-psss reports approx. 130 foals – the last significant figure before the association fell into crisis under pressure from the BLW.
2019	SHV reports only 7 filly foals, of which 1 foal comes from Ha-psss and 5 foals are offered for sale. Breeding result: ZERO.
2019	The Ha-psss breeding association has its recognition as a breed association withdrawn by the BLW. The breeding value assessment required by the BLW cannot be provided due to the population being too small.
17 September 2019	Haflinger-Schweiz-Gestüt-Zucht (H. Vonlanthen) formally refuses to comply with the orders of BLW Director Niklaus Neuenschwander. Reason: The BLW’s measures amount to a ‘suicide mission’ for the continued existence of Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland.
1 November 2019	Handover of management to the FOAG due to inability to act: As the FOAG regulations make sensible management impossible, responsibility is formally returned to the FOAG.

3.3 Main causes of the decline (according to documentation)

• BLW regulations lacking a market-based foundation.

• Refusal by FOAG Director Neuenschwander to recognise an umbrella organisation.

• Inability to provide the required breeding value estimation.

• Withdrawal of the association’s licence for Ha-psss.

• Lack of federal funding compared to the Freiberger.

• Structural obstruction by BLW department head Christian Stricker (from around 2020).

4. FOUNDING AND ESTABLISHMENT OF HAFLINGER-PENTAGON SÀRL-GMBH

Date	Milestone
From 2019	Haflinger-Schweiz-Gestüt-Zucht / H. Vonlanthen applies to the BLW for the establishment of an umbrella organisation for Swiss Haflinger horse breeding. Application repeatedly rejected.
From 2021	Pentagon applies the HPT (Haflinger Horse Breeding Association Tyrol) breeding programme in Switzerland – valid in accordance with EU Regulation 2016/1012 for all three UZBs.
Establishment	Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH is established as the umbrella organisation for Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland. Registered office: Impasse des Chênes 12, 1784 Courtepin. Managing Director: Hansruedi Vonlanthen.
Role	Pentagon coordinates breeders, maintains registers, defines standards in accordance with the HPT breeding programme and represents all three UZBs in dealings with authorities and associations.

5. LEGAL AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS (2019–2026)

Date	Event
17 September 2019	Formal refusal to comply with N. Neuenschwander’s orders.
1 November 2019	Handover of management to the Federal Office for Agriculture (BLW) due to incapacity to act.
2021	Pentagon begins implementation of the HPT breeding programme in Switzerland (EU Regulation 2016/1012).
29 October 2025	The completely revised Animal Breeding Ordinance (TZV) comes into force on 1 January 2026. Pentagon contests the procedure: decision taken by the BLW specialist department alone, without the involvement of the full Federal Council.
17 December 2025	Open letter / Formal objection from Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH to Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin (FEDER) regarding serious procedural flaws in the TZV revision.
12 February 2026	Response from the General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (WBF): No ‘formal objection’ is possible, as this concerns legislation (not the application of the law). Pentagon has no legal recourse against the TZV revision.
2026	Pentagon continues its proactive strategy: legal, media and political channels (Federal Administrative Court, parliamentary interpellation, media).
13 May 2026	Statement by Haflinger-Pentagon GmbH to the Court of the Lake District (Murten) in the Vonlanthen animal welfare case. Counterclaim and claims for damages announced.

6. COMPARISON OF POPULATION DATA

6.1 HPT – Haflinger Horse Breeding Association Tyrol (end of 2019)

Category	Number
Members (breeding farms)	788 in 16 clubs (Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg)
Young breeders	approx. 220
Mares (sexually mature)	1,280
Young mares	642
Geldings	8
Breeding stallions	26
Young stallions	49
Effective population size	102 (calculated: 4 × 1,280 × 26 / (1,280 + 26))

6.2 Switzerland – Development of foal numbers

Period	Number of foals in Switzerland (estimated)
Approx. 2004	Approx. 400+ foals per year (peak)
2018	Approx. 130 foals (Ha-psss) – sharp decline
2019	SHV: 7 filly foals in total \| Ha-psss: in sharp decline
2019–2026	De facto collapse of organised Swiss Haflinger breeding under the previous system.

7. LEGAL BASIS

Legal basis	Content / Relevance
EU Regulation 2016/1012	European Animal Breeding Regulation. In force since 2018. Pentagon has been applying it since 2021. Regulates UZB recognition, breeding programmes and branch studbook organisations.
TZV Switzerland (2012)	Old Animal Breeding Ordinance. Long applied by the FOAG as the sole legal basis. Does not recognise the term ‘umbrella organisation’.
Swiss Animal Breeding Ordinance (2025)	Completely revised regulation, in force from 1 January 2026. Pentagon disputes the procedural correctness. Art. 17 regulates the extension of the geographical area of foreign breeding organisations.
Art. 8 of the Federal Constitution	Principle of equal treatment. Pentagon: SHV is de facto an umbrella organisation and recognised; the Pentagon structure is identical but is rejected = discrimination.
Art. 27 of the Federal Constitution	Freedom of the economy. Pentagon: Monopoly protection in favour of the SHV infringes breeders’ freedom of the economy.

8. CONCLUDING REMARKS

This chronology documents the systematic decline of Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland as a direct consequence of a restrictive and market-alienating BLW policy. The loss of over 400 foals annually over a period of 15 years is not a random development, but the result of administrative obstacles that prevented the establishment of an effective umbrella organisation.

Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH was founded to halt this decline and place Haflinger horse breeding in Switzerland on a European-compatible footing (EU Regulation 2016/1012, HPT breeding programme). The fight for legal recognition continues.

Courtepin, 13 May 2026

Haflinger-Pentagon Sàrl-GmbH

on behalf of Hansruedi Vonlanthen

The Association of “Haflinger” Horse Breeding in the “five Sections Pentagon”
The Leading Organisation the original studbook of the “Haflinger” horse breed Breeding programme Haflinger Horse Breeders Association Tyrol	➙ Pentagon ” ➙ ↓	unites, so that this studbook-leading organisation can adopt the guidelines of the breeding programme from the “Sections” belonging to it. AAG - AAP // BCP - CXP // CXE (CXR) The “Sections” maintain subsidiary studbooks according to the horse breeding ordinance since 1 November 2018 (EU) European Union.