The Lipizzaner

These horses have the village of Lipizza in present day Slovenia to thank for their name. It was near this village that the then court stud in 1580 was founded with spanish horse stock. 

Lipizzaner Stallions are and have always been the main players in the Spanish Riding School. They are the result of 100s of years of breeding from spanish, italian and oriental arabic blood. 

They are distinguished by their perfect, classic bodies, their gracious movements, willingness to learn, vivaciousness and good temper and their resilience. 

An expressive head with the occasional ramsnose ( a trait of the african inheritance), a highly set neck, relatively low withers, a fairly long and powerful back, which runs into a muscular crupper, pronounced bodily proportions and simple profiled limbs with strong well forms joints and elegant hooves; the tail and the main are thick and fine haired - absolutely the baroque horse. 

The horse's size is between 155 and 158 cm. He has a springy gait with a high knee action and is particularly nimble. 

The Lipizzaner matures late, but also lives to a ripe old age of often between 28 and 32 years. As for the colouring the white horse is dominant - a brown Lipizzaner is a rarity, which for tradition's sake however can always be seen at the Spanish Riding School. 

The foals are born dark or black brown and acquire their white apparel only further on between the age of 4 and 10 years. 

For six months the foal remains with its mother, then it is separated and unhitched and marked with the traditional 4 brandings. 

The Studbrand is on the left croup - a P with the Austrian Crown above it. 
  

The ancestral brand is under the left saddle. The parents of the horse are represented here. The letter indicates the father, and the symbol under it the father of the mother. The Lipizzaners are branded with the starting letter of one of the six stallion lines (fathers - see below). After the respective letter one can also see the breed number. 
 

The symbols for the family tree for the mothers are: 

Conversano	Neapolitano
Favory	Pluto
Maestoso	Siglavy

A stallion who has the following brand markings  is Siglavy III Flora. 

The foal register brand is on the right side of the saddle. It is under this number which one will find the horse in the foal register. 
 

The brand of descent is on the left cheek. This marks the racial purity of the horse and is in special cases an "L". 
 

The stallions' lineage which still today and certainly in the future will supply the Spanish Riding School with descendants goes back to the following ancestors: 

Pluto: Pluto whose background is solely spanish was born in 1765 in the royal stud in Frederiksborg. 

Conversano: a black horse with Neapolitan origins was born in 1767 

Favory: a dun, born in 1779 came from the imperial stud Kladrun (Bohemia) 

Neapolitano: came from the Po region and was brown and was born in 1790 

Siglavy: This arab horse from Syria came to the Stud in Lipizza in 1810 

Maestoso: was the son of a Neapolitaner and spanish horse. Maestoso II was however born in 1819 in Hungary 

All the Lipizzaners in the Stud in Piber and the Spanish Riding School come from one of these 6 lines of Stallions. 
 

The Performance

The start of the performance is presented by the young stallions with the students who are in their 3 - 5 terms. This is followed by: 

All steps and movements of the classical school 
Pas de deux 
On the short hand rein 
On the long rein 
Schools above the ground 
School quadrille 
 

which are presented in all steps and movement, the pas de Deux, on the long rein and the school quadrille can be differentiated in the basic movements and extraordinary steps. 

The basic movements include steps, trotting and galloping  

Steps: The horse places his legs diagonally in front of each other onto the ground so that all four hooves are heard. 

Trotting: The diagonal pair of legs push off from the ground and take ground simultaneously again - there is a second of floating, 2 hoof beats can be heard. 

Galloping: A row of jumps in which 3 hoof beats can be heard. 

The Piaffe, Passage and side stepping and backward steps all belong to the extraordinary movements. 

The Schools on the Ground consist of: 

The Piaffe which is a diagonal movement of the legs, with the horse only moving forwards minimally. This is often described as an expressive trot on the spot with deep inflection. 

The Passage with light frontal and upwards movements of the diagonal leg pairs. 

In the Pirouette the horse turns in 6 - 8 equal gallop-jumps around his hocks. (a full pirouette - 360°) 
 

In the Schools above the Ground Section are the hand rein exercises and the Schools above the Ground plus 

the Levade: the horse rises on his haunches to an angle of 30 to maximum 45°. The horse holds this raised position for a while. The rider is vertical to the ground. 

the Courbette: the horse balances his weight on his hindquarters, raises his front haunches and propels himself forward on his hindquarters - his forehands not touching the ground. 

the Capriole: the most spectacular exercise of the Schools above the ground. Here the stallion jumps from the ground with all four legs at one time, stretches out with his hindquarters when his body is for a second horizontal in the air. 
 

Pas de deux: A ballet for two, performed by the horses with their riders. The movements of "the Schools on the Ground" are executed in exact mirror image fashion. 
 

On the long rein: The only solo performance - a particularly refined and well trained horse with his rider displays all steps and figures of haute école - also without the rider only with light guidance from the reins and crop. 
 

The School Quadrille: The finale presented with 8 riders. This is so to speak a relict left over from the times of the Carousels, all the steps and figures are integrated in a precise and exact framework of choreography. 
 

The training lasts approximately 10 years - whereby the time is usually split exactly between being an eleve and an Carpet Rider. This time cannot however be standardized as it depends on the personal development, efforts and commitment and also on the actual horses. What is of great importance is that the demands of the institute in respect to standard of work are met. 
 

Drop out quota 

Years of experience show that out of 4 eleves a maximum of 2 stay on at the Institute and carry on with their training. The high reputation of the School and the quality of the work and performances mean that the selection process is tough. The Riding School endeavours to make this decision within 2 years, although it has happened that at a later point an eleve or Carpet Rider has not developed further and has to leave. 
 

Duties of an Eleve 

Stable work 
Training on the stallions of the Schools 
Education in theory of knowledge of horses, of veterinary practices etc. 
Ependant on the development: deployment at morning practice and participation with the young stallions. 
 

Additional duties 

If necessary the eleve might be used for additional duties. The eleve will be regularly involved in stable work and the midday riding duty post. Knowledge of the lighting and music systems is desirable, though there are specific staff just for these tasks. The same applies to taking the tickets for morning practice.
 

Work schedule 

On average eleves have a 5 day week with 40 hours. The work time of under 18 year olds is regulated by the KJBG (= Law on employment for minors) and therefore may not exceed 40 hours a week. At the age of 18 they are integrated into the normal workings of the School, this involves overtime on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. The daily work schedule for eleves is 6am to 2pm. In the early part of the season occasional duty at performances (Sundays at 10.45am and Wednesdays at 7pm) is necessary. 
 

Salary 

As the Riding School has been directly under the Ministry for Agriculture the official salary regulations will apply temporary.
 

The Training of the Rider

The upkeep of the tradition of Classical Dressage and riding training is the duty of the riders and senior riders. This training is done without text books and written orders and is passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.

The normal training as an eleve and involvement with a thorough training on the longe in order to learn balance and posture is required in order to become a Rider.

Through this the eleve gains a lightness and ease and which enables free riding. The eleve also learns the correct use of the helps for a fully trained stallion and the effects they have. If the eleve can ride on a school stallion and perform all the steps and movements of the classical school only then can he become an Carpet Rider. If he has trained his own stallion to this maturity, this gives him the necessary qualification to become a Rider.

In order to aspire to Chief Rider and to First Chief Rider special talent in the Schools above the Ground is required, and in addition full control over the riding staff and recognition out and beyond the Riding School itself.

This training takes place over a lengthy period -just as with the stallions, which move at the age of 4 from the Stud in Piber to the Spanish Riding School. 

The Training of the Stallions 

The training of the Stallions is careful - just as that of the riders and without pressure in order not to overtax the horses. They move at the age of 4 from the Stud in Piber to the Spanish Riding School. The basis for the training comes from the directives laid down by his Excellency von Holbein and the Senior Rider Franz Meixner. 

1) Straight forward riding with the horse in the most natural position possible.

2) Campaign School Riding. Riding with a collected horse in all figures, voltes and transitions in complete balance.

3) Haute École - riding of the horse in an upright stance with inflection, regularity, deftness and skillfullness in all the normal natural movements and jumps.

On average it takes up to 8 years for a horse to be trained up to a stallion of School. It is exactly this long period of training which gives the horse his long life expectancy and means he can serve long and well in the Spanish Riding School.

Only if the training is so far that the lipizzaner can master the school quadrille then his first participation in a performance of the Spanish Riding School can happen.