The Lipizzaner is the most famous breed for haute ecole dressage. Haute Ecole is high level dressage movements where the horses leap off the ground. These High School jumps are popularly known as the 'airs above the ground'. The Lipizzaners at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna are world renown for their beautiful ‘dances'. They are one of the few breeds, along with the Lusitano and Andalusian breeds, that are trained in these High Dressage movements.
The Lipizzaner shares its ancestry with the Andalusian and Lusitano breeds. Like them, the Lipizzan breed is also descended from Spanish horses that were imported to Slovenia from the Iberian Peninsula in the late 1500's. The breed was founded by six Lipizzaner stallions from which all Lipizzaner horses are descended.
From their beginnings of a devoted and passionate breed development, to the present day, they have had a colorful history. They became nearly extinct during World War II. But because of their impressive performances, General Patton placed the horses under the protection of the United States until the end of the war, with only 250 Lipizzaners surviving. Today the breeding of Lipizzaners is highly concentrated at a few farms and registration is highly selective.
For me Lipizzaners have earned my deep and great respect...!!
