"Home – Every person on earth needs a place to be happy".
Norbert Rier, the frontman of the Kastelruther Spatzen [folk music group - Kastelruth Sparrows], found this place long ago on his Haflinger horse farm near Kastelruth in beautiful South Tyrol.
The success story of the Kastelruther Spatzen is long and includes an incredible number of awards at regular intervals. The 7-man band has already won the "Echo", "The Golden Tuning Fork" and "The Crown of Folk Music" several times. The Sparrows were successful from the outset: after releasing their first CD, which was gold-plated at the time, a new record with a best-seller guarantee has appeared thereafter almost every year. In 1990, the group took part in the "Grand Prix of Folk Music" for Germany and won with the song "Tears do not suit you" [Tränen passen nicht zu dir]. The foundation for the international success was thus laid and numerous hits and appearances followed in various TV broadcasts. Today, the Kastelruther Spatzen have already received over a hundred golden records. They are probably the most successful German-speaking group in folk music hit songs. In September 2016, the now 37th album(!) was released under the title "The Sun Shines for Everyone".
His Haflinger horses – a healthy balance.
Also in the year 1990, the Haflinger horse rearing began on Norbert Rier's farm. He was on the Seiser Alm and saw three beautiful Haflinger fillies. But the more he thought about it and compared, the less he could decide on one of the three – so he bought all three! His passion for the beautiful horses has allowed him to continuously expand his farm and keep busy with the work of rearing Haflinger horses. He is helped with his work by the Weidemann telehandler T4512. With a bucket, pallet fork and gale grabber, the feed and large bales are moved for the animals. The fork & grab helps with transporting manure. The small compact telehandler is a helper for the daily operations. The 4.5 metre lift height and the 1.2 tonne payload allow for a wide range of applications. Whenever Norbert is at home and his family desires it, there are long rides into the magnificent countryside of the Schlern region. The 56-year old singer is married and has four children. His family helps him with his hobby. His son Alexander trains with the horses and also helps his dad with the exhibitions. The youngest daughter Anna also likes her dad's three "classic ponies" and helps with the stable work. In addition to the musical success of his group, there is hardly anything that Norbert Rier can enjoy more than his Haflinger horses. "It's the same in the music and on the farm: those who want to work professionally need good equipment"!
