Horses – The Lipizzans

Some Lipizzaner history

The aristocratic Lipizzaners are descended from the Iberian horse, which is the oldest breed in the world. Iberians have been used as warhorses since 4,000 years before Muhammad, when camels were used as mounts in warfare, and their Lipizzaner descendants are today trained to perform movements originally taught to military mounts to be more effective in battle.

The breed was first established in 1590 by the Archduke of Austria, Charles II. He opened the first stud in Lipizza, then part of Italy, and began breeding Ibericos with the native Italian breeds. Until well into the 18th century, these horses were crossed with the best horses from Spain, Italy and Arabia. They were used, during that time, as family and carriage horses for the Royal Court of Vienna.

In 1735, Charles VI of Austria established the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. It is the oldest riding school in the world (named for the Spanish horses that were a large foundation of the breed), and for more than 400 years it has trained riders and horses to perform the dressage movements that have made the horse famous. Lipizzaner. When Charles started school, he too began recording the breed’s bloodlines.

Of the nine original stallions used to establish the breed, six bloodlines are used solely for breeding at the Spanish Riding School and South African Lipizzaners in Kyalami. These are the ones they recognize as the purest of the breed. Those six stallions were:

• Pluto, born in 1765, gray in color
• Conversano, born in 1767, black in color
• Favourite, born 1779, brown in color
• Neapolitan, born 1790, color bay (brown)
• Siglavy, born 1810, gray in color
• Maestroso II, born in 1819, gray color

Although the two breeders mentioned here tend to prefer light gray and white stallions for show, they consider it bad luck if there isn’t at least one bay horse in their stables.

Lipizzans are marked with a special symbol to indicate which lineages they are descended from. They carry the symbol of their father and the symbol of their mother’s father. This is called the “ancestral mark”. Foals are marked with a number so that one can easily locate them in the foal registry. In addition to these two markings, each Lipizzaner also bears the “descent mark” on their left cheek. This is very often an “L”.

More recently, two other bloodlines have been internationally recognized as purebred. Those are:

Tulip, born 1850, color not indicated

Incitato, no date of birth or color indicated

While not listed as being recognized by the two aforementioned breeders, these bloodlines are acceptable to many modern proponents of bloodline purity.

In 1920, the decision was made to move the Lipizzaners from Lipizza (now in present-day Slovenia) to Piber, Austria. During World War II, the entire inventory of the stock was moved to Holstau to prevent the animals from being captured and used in battle, or requisitioned as a food supply by hostile forces. The line was nearly extinct (only 250 horses survived) and would have been wiped out entirely without the intervention of General George Patton. He and his troops rescued the survivors so they could continue their incredible story.

In 1948, having fled from Europe, Count Elemer Jankovich-Besan moved some of the surviving horses to the South Mooi River in South Africa. He gifted one of the stallions to Major George Iwanowski who, in turn, started the Lipizzaners of South Africa school. This is one of the two accredited Lipizzaner Centers in the world, the other being the Spanish Riding School.

Description and Conformation of the Lipizzaners

Foals are usually dark or dark brown in color when they are born. They go through several different color changes before finally reaching their adult color between the ages of four and ten. Most often the color is light gray or white. However, there are also dunes and bays. They are just not that common and it is a rarity for an adult Lipizzaner to be totally black-brown or black.

The breed is long-lived and has been recorded to live up to 34 years. It is not uncommon for a Lipizzaner to live well into their 20s. They are very loyal and are well known for their superb stamina, agility, strength, and courage.

For training and show, only stallions are used. And breeders/trainers look for a certain conformation in those horses that are eventually trained for dressage. These include:

• the stallion must be 15.2 to 16 hands (one hand is four inches or 6 cm) tall, i.e. 155 to 160 cm
• the head is slightly aquiline to gently roman in shape, and the eyes are a good distance apart
• the neck should be crested, but not appear too heavy on top or too thick below
• the back and neck must be the same length
• the chest should be strong and of medium width
• shoulders should have a good slope
• the legs should appear shorter, so that the horse is better shaped to perform the “Air on the ground”
• the musculature must be pronounced, without the horse appearing too heavy the hindquarters must be well rounded
• the mane and tail should be thick and full, but fine and soft to the touch.

“Dressage”

The “Airs on the floor”, when performed and observed, recall the movements of a dancer. So to speak, the Lipizzaner is the dancer of the equine world.

Exercises performed by these magnificent creatures include:

the levada: a 45-degree position in which the horse is “hunched over” above the ground la courette: the horse balances on its hind legs before jumping, and keeps its front legs off the ground and its hind legs together while” jump”

the capriole: the stallion jumps into the air, tucks his front legs under him and kicks with his hind legs at the height of the lift

la pata: rhythmic trot performed by the standing stallion

la croupade: similar to the capriola, but both the front and hind legs are tucked under the body at the height of the rise

and many more. It is fascinating to see these horses in action, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that true horse lovers should experience. They are impressive and sometimes impressive. They really are the dancers of the equine world, and a wonderful site to behold!

The Slovenes consider the Lipizzaner to be the first thoroughbred established in their country. As such, it will most likely appear on your new euro coins. This horse is highly appreciated in his country.

The breed is rare today, with only about 3,000 horses registered as Thoroughbreds. But, the numbers are rising as harness horses are used more by breeders. Slovenes use the stallions for show dressage and to cross them with their own native stock for use in farm work. The Lipizzaner remains the only breed used by the Spanish Riding School in Austria.