Horses and traditions Alta Badia - Dolomites

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Photo Gallery of the horse-sleigh races and skikjöring

Horses and traditions

events with centuries-old origins

The horse-drawn sleigh races and the horse parade, traditional events of the winter season in Alta Badia, have ancient origins.

The Ladins, the ancient population of Val Badia have kept alive their traditions, handing them down from father to son. Going through Val Badia, you will see many different examples of the agricultural and craftwork activities that are characteristic of the area. There are some very valuable breeds of horse (Haflinger and Noriker horses), for example, and among the craftsmen you might even come across expert sleigh builders. Sleighs were once needed by farmers for hard winter work, to transport hay down to the valley but also to move from one town to another, to meet in the square in front of the church or at the inn.

The most beautiful sleigh was usually used to go to church on Sundays. It was finely carved and decorated. On such occasions the entire family would wear traditional costumes; the women would wear funny onion-shaped woollen hats and the men would wear warm jackets made of red wool. The older generation of our towns love to talk about the snow filled streets that were transformed into veritable catwalks for beautiful sleighs and peasant fairs. The only noise that would accompany the convoy during such parades was that of the horses’ hooves and the sound of the bells.

Horse sleigh races

By the middle of the twentieth century the farmers of Alta Badia used to meet on Carnival Sunday for a horse-drawn sleight competition.

On the Sunday of carnival the peasants would gather together in the centre of the town to take part in a sleigh competition. The last traditional competition dates back to 1973. fastest sleigh was not always the one that won because the originality of the costumes, of the sleigh and the horses’ decorations were also taken into account. Over the last few years the horse races with sleighs and skijöring have been brought back and organised together with the Val Badia horse association in the evening at the La Villa sports field.

The horse sleigh parade

Over the last few years, in honour of the “Carnival Sunday parade” Alta Badia farmers meet up for a day dedicated entirely to their great passions – horses and sleighs. Dressed up in characteristic festival costumes and sitting on their traditional sleighs they go for a ride along the snow filled meadows to the La Villa sports field where they participate in a horse-drawn sleigh contest. No fixed times have been arranged as of yet, because at least on one day in the year the participants want to take advantage of the utmost freedom of movement, stopping off wherever and as many times as they wish and moving from one place to another on a whim. Arrival time in La Villa is expected to be approximately 12 o'clock where the annual club competition will take place.

Walking along one of the winter trails at the bottom of the valley between Pedraces, La Villa and San Cassiano you may even bump into this jolly convoy – savour this moment as a precious gift from your holidays in Alta Badia.