Kristoff Feurhaffe's father is a high-ranking scientist for the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City. Naturally the elder equine wanted his son to follow in his hoofsteps, to learn, study, and make the world a better place for all pokemon. But alas, that was not to be.

Born with a larger than average build and greater than average strength, courtesy of his rhyhorn mother, Kristoff's attentions quickly turned to more physical activities such as sports and battling. Such things came naturally to him and were a lot more fun than cramming an endless stream of books under his nose. Disappointed but still hoping that his son would see the educational light, Kristoff's father enrolled him in the prestigious Three Regis Combat Academy in Hoenn, hoping that the school's battle program would lure him into more scholarly pursuits.

It didn't work. Kristoff did very well in his battles but neglected his academic studies. His strength caught the attention of fellow ponytas Kalim and Raza Ibrahil who needed some muscle to add to their team, and after adding a fourth ponyta, Dawn, the team was complete. The team did quite well despite Kristoff's academic slacking off, but several scandals at the school prompted the entire team to transfer to another academy, the Poke-Combat Academy in Kanto.

Kristoff is energetic and outgoing, if a bit stubborn and overbearing at times. Although his size and strength mark him as something of a brute, he's actually a lot smarter than he lets on. He just doesn't see the need to perform academically when his physical abilities have carried him so far. In a battle he's a very physical fighter but has a surprising number of odd and unusual tricks up his sleeve and a knack for catching opponents off-guard.