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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 from Val Badia have kept some ancient traditions intact, 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 typical of the area. You will find for example some very prestigious horse breeds (Haflinger and Noriker horses) and among the craftsmen you might even come across expert sleigh builders. Sleighs were once needed by farmers to face into the 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 the typical costume; the women would wear funny onion-shaped woollen hats and the men would wear warm jackets mad of red wool. The older generation of our fellow townspeople love to talk about the snow filled streets that were transformed into veritable catwalks on which to admire beautiful sleighs and peasant’s 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

skikjöring in Alta Badia

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 that took place dates back to 1973. The fastest sleigh was not always the winning one in so far as the originality of the costumes, of the sleigh and the horses’ decorations were also evaluated. Over the last years the horse races with sleighs and skijöring have been re-established and organised with the collaboration of the horse association of Val Badia. They take place in the evening at the sports field in La Villa.


 

The horse sleigh parade

Over the past few years, in remembrance of the Sunday horse-parades, the farmers from Alta Badia meet up for a day dedicated entirely to their great passions – horses and sleighs. Dressed up in the typical festival costumes and sitting on their characteristic sleights, they go on a trip among the meadows and snow filled forests that will lead them from town to town through the entire municipality of Badia as far as the La Villa sports area. 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 of freedom of movement, stopping off where and as many times as they wish and moving from one place to another following the inspiration of the moment – the 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.