Page 48 - slovenia

THE LIPICA STUD FARM

Horsing Around

n the rainy day we were scheduled to stop at ized jumps and other movements known as “airs above the
the Lipica Stud Farm, I admit I wasn’t enthused. ground.” Obviously my curiosity was piqued.
What would we do there - watch horses make
Olittle horses? But my attitude changed when We learned that Lipizzaners were bred here for Austrian
our guide Jani explained that we were at the original home of Hapsburg nobles starting in the 1580s, which makes Lipica
the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding Europe’s oldest stud farm still in operation. The farm is a
School of Vienna, Austria. These statuesque white horses and large verdant estate dotted with historic stables and build-
their riders tour the world demonstrating the precise move- ings, including a full chapel built mostly in the 1700s.. In
ments of classical dressage, including highly controlled, styl- 1996 the Lipica Stud Farm and its horses were declared a

48 WDT MAGAZINE SPRING 2017