Traditions on horseback in Brixental Valley

Updated on 09.06.2023

After Brixental Valley put music centre stage with the music band and choral society meeting in May, it's time for horses in the region in June. On Corpus Christi, Thursday 8 June, riders parade through the streets on the traditional Antlassritt. Just over a week later, on 17 June, the stallion drive takes place at the Stallbachkaralm in Aschau.

Stallion drive: Which is the best horse in the stable?

After an intensive breeding season, it's time for the stallions of the Tyrolean Noriker Horse Breeding Association to head off to their summer retreat. But before the animals can graze peacefully in the rear Spertental valley, they have to prove their strength once again. To save the horses from lengthy rank battles in the summer months, they are invited into the paddock at the start of the summer grazing season to determine the ranking in the herd. This takes place as part of a spectacular spectacle of the animal world: the stallion drive. It is a unique event in Tyrol, which takes place this year on 17 June. The day starts at 10 am with a cosy morning pint at the Stallbachkaralm in Aschau, before things get serious at 11 am with the presentation and weighing of the stallions. At 12 noon, the animals are then let loose in the arena, where they compete in duels, rearing up, kicking, jostling and biting for the position of leading stallion. The ascent to the mountain pasture takes about 1.5 hours.