LIPIZZAN HISTORY
High Schooled LipizzanDeveloped exclusively by
the Hapsburg monarchy for its use during times of war and peace, the Lipizzan is
the true horse of royalty. Four hundred years of selective breeding have made
the Lipizzan one of Europe’s oldest breeds of horse. The Lipizzan’s historical
and cultural development enhances its mystique. Physically capable of
withstanding the demands of the Airs Above the Ground, this baroque mount was
bred to perform haute ecole dressage at the Spanish Riding School and owes its
survival to the intervention of American General George S. Patton during World
War II.
BREED ORIGIN
Lipizzan Breed OriginsThe Hapsburg family
controlled both Spain and Austria when the art of classical riding revived in
Europe during the Renaissance. There was a need for light, fast horses for use
in the military and the riding school. The Spanish horse, produced during
Moorish rule by crossing Berber and Arab stallions with Iberian mares, was
considered the most suitable mount because of its exceptional sturdiness,
beauty, and intelligence. In 1562, Maximillian II brought the Spanish horse to
Austria and founded the court stud at Kladrub. His brother Archduke Charles
established a similar private imperial studfarm with Spanish stock in 1580 at
Lippiza (nowadays: Lipizza [Italian], or Lipica [Slovenian]) near the Adriatic
Sea. Here on the Karst plateau near Triest the type of horse which was bred in
Lippiza was called the Lippizaner. Today in Europe the breed is called
Lipizzaner or, in America, Lipizzan.
FOUNDATION LINES
Lipizzan Foundation LinesThe Kladrub and Lipizza
stock were bred to the native Karst horses, and succeeding generations were
crossed with the old Neapolitan breed and horses of Spanish descent obtained
from Spain, Germany, and Denmark. The Kladrub stud produced heavy carriage
horses. Riding horses and light carriage horses came from the Lipizza stud
although breeding stock was exchanged between the studs. The Kladrub stud
produced Maestoso and Favory, two of the foundation sires of today’s Lipizzan.
Of the sires used during the 18th and 19th centuries, only six established sire
lines: Conversano, black, a Neapolitan, born in 1767; Favory, dun, transferred
from Kladrub, born in 1779; Maestoso, grey, a crossbred by a Neapolitan sire and
out of a Spanish dam, transferred from Kladrub, born in 1819; Neapolitano, bay
or brown, from another Neapolitan sire, born in 1790; Pluto, grey, of Spanish
origin, from the Danish stud, born 1765; Siglavy, grey, an Arabian, born in
1810.
By the 1800s, there were no longer any original
Spanish horses available, and Arabians were used to strengthen the lines. Of the
seven Arabian stallions used, only Siglavy founded a separate dynasty. Two other
stallion lines which did not find favor at the Lipizza stud were perpetuated at
other studs within the boundaries of the Austrian empire. The Tulipan (Croatia)
and Incitato (Transylvanian-Hungarian) lines are still found in Yugoslavia,
Hungary, and other eastern European countries as well as North America. In
addition to the sire lines, 35 mares established dominant families which are
recognized today. Each country established traditions in naming, branding, and
otherwise identifying Lipizzans.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Lipizzans are genetically a type of grey. Born
dark, black-brown, brown, or mouse-grey, Lipizzans gradually lighten until the
white coat for which they are noted is produced somewhere between the ages of 6
and 10. The white hair coat has become dominant in the breed, and only now and
then is a black or brown adult produced. As late as two hundred years ago,
black, browns, chestnuts, duns, piebalds, and skewbalds were found in the adult
herd. Noted for his sturdy body and proud carriage, the Lipizzan’ head is
remarkable for its large appealing eyes and small alert ears. The body presents
a picture of strength with a crested neck, powerful shoulders, muscular hind
quarters, and strong legs with well-defined tendons and joints. Not an
exceedingly tall horse, the Lipizzan averages between 14.2 to 15.2
hands.
SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL
Spanish Riding SchoolNamed after the early
Spanish horses imported in the 16th century, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna
is the oldest surviving institution of its kind in the world. Its primary
purpose has remained the same through its history: to perpetuate the art of
classical horsemanship in its purest form and transmit it from generation to
generation. To this end, the School has used the Lipizzan exclusively as a horse
capable of performing all the steps and movements of dressage, including the
Airs Above the Ground -- the Levade, the Courbette, and the
Capriole.
BREED EXPANSION
Until 1916, the Lipizzan studfarm always
remained a private possession of the Hapsburg monarchy. Up to this time, the
expansion of the breed had been affected over the centuries by military
conflicts. Whenever warfare threatened the Lipizza stud, the horses were moved
away. During these moves, individual horses would occasionally be given or sold
to other studs. From these horses came other small Lipizzan farms, usually
within the boundaries of the Austrian empire.
During World War I, the breeding stock was
relocated to Laxenburg near Vienna. The foals were placed in the other imperial
studfarm, Kladrub. After World War I, central Europe was reorganized. The large
Austrian-Hungarian empire was divided into several new republics, and every new
state inherited the possessions of the former monarchy. The breeding stock of
the imperial studfarm of Lippiza (1580-1916) itself was divided over three
different countries. The main part went to Italy, to which the village of
Lipizza and its surroundings were also awarded. The 1913-1915 foals remained at
Kladrub, which was then owned by the Czechoslovakian state. In 1919, the
republic of Austria became the owner of the rest of the breeding stock and the
stallions of the Spanish Riding School. Following World War I, in addition to
Italy, Czechoslovakia, and Austria, other new states which continued the
breeding of the Lipizzan horse were Hungary, Rumania, and
Yugoslavia.
During World War II, the Lipizzan breed was
again threatened with extinction when the mares and foals from Austria, Italy,
and Yugoslavia were transferred to Hostau in Czechoslovakia by the German High
Command. Through the heroic efforts of the Spanish Riding School’s director,
Alois Podhajsky, the school was saved. The perpetuation of the breed was
guaranteed by the American army which retrieved the mares and returned them to
Austrian soil.
Today Lipizzans are found beyond the borders of
what was once the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Before 1930 the Lipizzan horse did
not exist within the United States. Opera singer Countess Maria Jeritza was
given several Lipizzans by the Austrian government and imported them in 1937. In
October 1945, the U. S. Army Remount Service imported 9 Lipizzans (3 stallions
and 6 mares, 1 in foal). It was not until the late 1950s that Lipizzans were
imported in any great number. Between 1958 and 1969 Tempel and Ester Smith of
Illinois imported 1 stallion and 13 mares (5 in foal) from Austria, 7
Lipizzaners from Hungary and 6 from Yugoslavia. In 1959, Evelyn Dreitzler of
Snohomish, Washington, began negotiations with the Austrian government, and
between 1959 and 1973, 3 stallions and 10 mares (1 in foal) arrived from
Austria. Other importations have occurred during the past thirty years, each
adding another dimension to the American Lipizzan genetic base.
With fewer than 3,000 purebred Lipizzans in the
world, the breed is considered rare, and the number of foals born each year is
correspondingly small. Extreme care is taken by those involved in the production
of Lipizzan horses to insure that the purity of the breed is preserved. Much
effort has been expended to develop educational programs in order to foster
voluntary adherence to the traditional breed goals and objectives.
Now, in the early years of the 21st century, the
Lipizzan has proven to be a successful competitor at all levels of competition
dressage and driving, as well as continuing to be the ultimate mount for
classical horsemanship. The breed has also proven to be suitable for other
equestrian disciplines including pleasure riding. Owners and breeders are
dedicated to the Lipizzan breed because they appreciate its rarity, cultural
importance, romantic history, and its traits of intelligence, classic beauty,
and harmonious, athletic way of moving.
