Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DANCING HORSES OF LIPICA
Lipizzaners are the finest riding horses in the world. Intelligent, sociable, robust and graceful, they are much
sought after for
haute école
dressage.
Breeding is paramount. Just four equine families with 16 ancestors can be traced back to the early 18th century,
and their pedigrees read like medieval royalty. When you walk around the stables at Lipica you'll see charts on
each horse stall with complicated names and dates tracing their lineage.
Lipizzaners foal between January and May, and the foals remain in the herd for about three years. They are then
separated for four years of training.
Lipizzaners are born grey, bay or even chestnut. The celebrated 'imperial white' comes about when their hair
loses its pigment between five and 10 years old. Their skin remains grey, however, so when they are ridden hard
enough to sweat, they become mottled.
A mature Lipizzaner measures about 15 hands (approximately 153cm). They have long backs, short, thick
necks, silky manes and expressive eyes. Like most horses they are somewhat near-sighted and they will nuzzle
you out of curiosity if you approach them while they graze.
Sights
Lipica Stud Farm
( 739 15 80;
www.lipica.org
; Lipica 5; tour adult/child €11/5.50; training/classical
performance €13/18; training & classical performance Tue, Fri & Sun Apr-Oct)
The
311-hectare stud farm can be visited on a
guided tour
. The tours begin opposite the in-
formation and ticket office; a visit covers the stables and the riding halls, giving you an
idea of what it's like to learn dressage and control a very large animal.
A highlight is the daily afternoon
exhibition performance
of these elegant horses as
they go through their complicated paces pirouetting and dancing to Viennese waltzes with
riders
en costume
. There's a lower-key training performance in the mornings.
If you miss the performances, try to be around when the horses are moved from the
stables to pasture (usually between 9am and 10am) and again in the afternoon (around
5.30pm to 6pm).
STUD FARM
