Description of the Lipizzan horse
It is difficult to imagine the animal world without such graceful and kind animals as horses. In the same way, the list of horse-drawn riders would be incomplete without a bright representative, who has gained unprecedented popularity all over the world. This is the Lipizzan horse. As they just don't call it: Lippitsanskaya, and Lippisanskaya, and Lipitsanskaya, but this in no way diminishes its merits.
Lipizzan horse
Where do you come from
There are fans of this breed all over the world. Why? First of all, because of the horse's ability to perform dressage of extremely high difficulty. This is not talking about the many other uses. It is the combination of skills that arouses such delight, arouses interest.
At the time of luxury and riding, these horses appeared in the distant 16th century. They received such an unusual name from the village of Lipica, which is now in Slovenia, where, thanks to the work of specialists, the breed arose. At that time it was the Austrian Empire, therefore the breed is considered Austrian. The Lippizian horse is a result of selection from the following breeds: Arabian horses, Andalusian (originally from Spain), North Italian and Neapolitan.
Collecting all the best qualities of the ancestors, the Lippian horse became the embodiment of the ideal breed. The efforts of Austrian horse breeders have been crowned with success, giving the world a special heritage: the horse, whose popularity only increases over time. It is impossible not to mention the fact that in 1735 it was this species that became the basis of the Spanish Higher Riding School, which at that time was the pride and main attraction of the Austrian capital Vienna.
Unique appearance
It is a great pleasure to see such a handsome man at least once in your life. The expressive appearance is recognizable even in the photo, but in real life the horse looks unsurpassed. Of the main characteristics of its description, the following can be distinguished:
- the height of an adult at the withers reaches 157 cm, but the draft representatives of the breed are higher by 10 centimeters;
- proportional physique;
- strong muscular torso;
- graceful posture, outstanding nobility of origin;
- a small head in relation to the body and a straight profile;
- rather short firm neck, slightly curved;
- weighty thigh with developed muscles;
- long and hind and front legs with well-defined joints;
- wider croup and deep back;
- chic fluffy tail.
No verbal portraits are able to convey the special charm of the animal. Interesting fact: The Lippizian horse develops and matures extremely slowly, reaching maturity at the age of 5-7 years, and sometimes only by 10 years of age. But in contrast to this, she is a long-liver with an average life expectancy of 35 years. Noteworthy is the excellent balance in the representatives of the species, supplemented by learning ability, it becomes the main argument in choosing them in favor of the riders.
The gentle disposition and complaisance of the horse deserves special attention.Animals are quiet and calm, do not require undue attention and very unpretentious in care. Among the many benefits, endurance is considered the most valuable for many.
Distinctive features
Many Lippizians are gray in color, but bay and black are very rare among them. This is due to the whim of the imperial family, for which the specialists made every effort to achieve the desired shade. This struggle for the suit lasted for almost 4 centuries and as a result everything worked out: even today, the image of a horse from Lipitsa is associated precisely with the gray color of the coat. What is interesting is the requirements for the appearance of the Spanish Higher Riding School, where, along with the classic light horses, at least one dark horse must always be present. The tradition has developed long ago, but no one is going to break it.
There is another specificity of the color of this variety of horses, namely:
- black skin color;
- lack of spots and patterns;
- only dark eye color surrounded by light coat.
It is surprising that foals are born always dark and only after some time, during puberty, do they acquire a characteristic gray color, and after all, light horses usually have the same color from birth as at maturity. And only the Lippizian horse is an exception to the rule in this sense. the second oddity is that in all other varieties the skin color matches the color of the coat, but here it is not: black skin and gray wool. Paradoxical, but true.
But not only appearance distinguishes the animal from the rest, but also intelligence and good nature. There are few equal to her in meekness and ability to be friends with a person. She quickly becomes attached to the owner and often even to strangers, strangers shows sympathy, thus conquering human hearts. She is obedient and balanced, but at the same time majestic and intelligent.
Learning Secrets
The Spanish Riding School in Vienna trains young stallions. This is a painstaking process that continues for several years for each individual separately. They continue to demonstrate the skills of pets, as they did several centuries ago, in a special arena of the 18th century. The atmosphere is indescribable and thought out so much that the performance of powerful horses under the light of the candelabra seems to transport the audience to the Middle Ages, leaving indelible impressions for a lifetime.
Most horses are prone to lameness, but not the Lipizzaner. A calm disposition not only does honor to the pet, but also protects from unnecessary injuries with disastrous consequences. Horses easily and painlessly get used to different living conditions and a change in diet. They endure forced suffering and do not become aggressive and violent at the same time. All this explains their popularity among the military. Oddly enough, there were cases in history when horses, undemanding to food and well adapting to any conditions of life, decided the outcome of the war in their favor.
Where the breed is used
The story about the noticeable gray Austrians will be incomplete without mentioning the features and scope of the horses. Athletic build has itself defined the use of horses. From time immemorial, the owners of strong, muscular limbs were used both for horseback riding and for traction purposes. From a resting animal, it is difficult to guess how spectacular it will look in motion. In the Viennese school, they are used for walks and also harnessed to carriages.
And although the breed was bred to participate in hostilities, for a long time it has been participating in numerous and varied shows both in Austria itself and abroad. The paradox is that, despite what it was planned to keep this animal, he never had to participate in wars, but she is an indisputable professional in dressage.The training programs for horses are more complex than for other breeds, but they are easy and successful to master, thanks to their natural intelligence and good learning ability.
Every tourist who has visited Vienna witnessed how Lipizzans ride people around the city, harnessed to colorful carriages. But in the Austrian Alps, horse country walks are carried out on them. Unfortunately, the total number of the breed worldwide is only 3000 horses. It is clear that this makes them even more valuable and each individual individual becomes significant, but the uniqueness of the animals should even more dispose horse breeders to breed them.
Even when crossed with others, all the advantages of the species are preserved. It remains to be hoped that the situation will not change for the worse and the Lippizian breed will not be on the verge of extinction, this will be an irreparable mistake of people. No matter how significant progress is from a technical point of view and no matter how many different things are replaced by a special technique, the horse should remain a part of our life. Let it be more in a decorative than a practical sense, but it should be.