- The magnificent Lipizzaner stallions were originally bred for use in battle. Soldiers on the backs of the Lipizzaners maneuvered their stallions to perform incredible leaps and plunges that frightened the enemy foot soldiers into retreating. During modern times, Lipizzaner stallions still perform there spectacular leaps. But this time, the result is applause and admiration from horse lovers around the world.
- The breed originated in 1580 in the small town of Lipica (also know as Lipizza) near the city of Trieste, in Italy (once part of the Austrian Empire). In that year, 9 stallions and 24 mares were imported from the Iberian Peninsula at the order of Archduke Charles II of Austria. These horses were the initial stock for breeding parade-horses for the imperial court in Vienna. The royal family of Austria, the Hapsburgs, were the owners of the horses. No common person was allowed to own a Lipizzaner. However, nobels serving with the Hapsburg armies were giving Lipizzaners to ride. The Spanish Adalusians were crossed with the strong, stocky, native Italian horses, whose endurance and strength had been praised since Roman times. Another ancestor of the Lipizzaner was the Neapolitan, a cross between Andalusian and Arabian horses that was popular during the Baroque era because of its slow, high-stepping gait (the Spanish gait).
- The horses at Lipica often had to be evacuated to protect them from attack during times of war. In 1797, the herd was rescued from the approaching French army and set out on a forty-day march to Hungary. After six months, the horses were returned to Lipica. In 1805, they had to leave their home once again. Through ice and snow, the horses were moved to Slovenia, where they stayed for two years before their return in 1807. In 1809, they had to be evacuated again, this time to Hungary, where they remained until 1815. World War II almost put an end to the Lipizzaners. Many of the horses were rounded up and held by the German army. It was only thanks to the combined efforts of the director of the Spanish Riding School, their breeding manager, and United States Army General George Patton that the herd of about three hundred survived the threat of the approaching Russian front. The story of this incident is told in the Walt Disney movie, Miracle of the White Stallions.
Lipizzaner Facts
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