The Beauty and Grace of a Lipizzaner Horse

 

If you are looking into beautiful, elegant, graceful and majestic horses, the Lipizzaner Horse should be on top of your list.  Whether goal is to show your horse, breed horses or just have a beautiful and intelligent companion horse, there is absolutely no reason why you should not go for this breed.

 

Background

Originally used as war horses ages ago, Lipizzaners were officially bred in the year 1950 in Austria by the sovereign prince of the its former ruling house.  As descendants of the world’s oldest horse breed, the Iberian, Lipizzaners are understandably rare and expensive.  There are only several thousands of this breed around the world.  This is the reason why putting up stallions, brood mares, colts, fillies and even geldings for sale can be a very lucrative business for breeders.  An organization devoted to this breed exists and it is called the Lipizzan Association of North America.

 

Characteristics

This breed’s head is of average size—not too big or too small.  They have big expressive eyes that mildly show a Roman profile.  Their necks have a graceful arch.  Lipizzaners stand at an average of about 14 to 16 hands.  Their bodies are solid and compact but muscular which makes them suitable for the High School dressage which they are known for.

 

They richly have fine and silky –smooth mane and tail.  Their coats usually start out as bay or black but over the years it will develop into their distinctive gray color.  The color of this breed’s adult coat very slowly surfaces only when they are about 4 to 10 years of age.  By this time, the coats would have already lightened to a beautiful white color and it will be kept like this for the rest of the 35-year lifespan of the horse.

 

Dressage

Lipizzaner horses are experts at executing a complicated series of successive levades called Airs Above the Ground.  They are considered to be the dancers in the realm of equids as they are able to do several elaborate moves.  A riding school was established in Vienna to develop the potentials of horses in dressage.  This school is called the Spanish Riding School which is the oldest riding school in the world.  It is named after the many Spanish horses that were in the expanse.  Only stallions that are at least four years old are admitted.  It takes about six years to complete a full training that has to be administered with patience and gentleness.  After which, the horses are then able to perform movements such as the

capriole, courbette, croupade and levade.