Description of the Lippician Horse

It’s hard to imagine the animal world without graceful and kind animals like horses. In the same way, the list of horse-drawn teams will be incomplete without a bright representative who has gained unprecedented popularity all over the world. This is a Lippician horse. As they just do not call it: Lippitsanskaya, Lippizanskaya, and Lipitsanskaya, but this does not diminish its merits in any way.

Lippitsian horse

Where are you from

Fans of this breed are found in all corners of the globe. Why? First of all, because of the horse’s skill to perform dressage of extremely high complexity.This is not to mention the many other possible uses. It’s a delight and arouses interest.

In the days of luxury and horseback riding, in the distant 16th century, these horses appeared. They got such an unusual name from the village of Lipitsa, which is now in Slovenia, where, thanks to the efforts specialists, the breed arose.At that time it was the Autrian Empire, so the breed is considered Austrian. The Lippician horse was the result of breeding from the following breeds: Arabian horses, Andalusian (originally from Spain), North Italian and Neapolitan.

Gathering all the best qualities of ancestors, the Lippician horse became the embodiment of the ideal breed. The efforts of Austrian horse breeders were successful, giving the world a special heritage: a horse whose popularity only increases over time.It is impossible not to mention the fact that in 1735 it was this type 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 a lifetime. The expressive appearance is recognizable even in the photo, but in real life the horse looks unsurpassed. Of the main characteristics of his description, the following can be distinguished:

• the height of the adult at the withers reaches 157 cm, but the harness representatives of the breed are 10 centimeters higher;
• proportional physique;
• strong muscular torso;
• graceful posture, issuing nobleness of origin;
• small head and straight profile in relation to the body;
• rather short hard neck, slightly curved;
• weighty-looking thighs with well-developed muscles;
• long and hind legs, and front legs with clearly defined joint you;
• more than a wide croup and a deep back;
• a magnificent magnificent tail.

No verbal portraits are able to convey the special charm of the animal. An interesting fact: the Lippician horse develops and grows up very 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 among representatives of the species, supplemented by learning, it becomes the main argument when choosing riders in their favor.

The meek temperament and complaisance of the horse deserves special attention. Animals are quiet and calm, not requiring excessive attention and very unpretentious in care. Among the many advantages, stamina is considered the most valuable for many.

Distinctive features

Many Lippians are gray in color, but bay and black are very rare among them . This is due to the whim of the imperial family, for the sake of which experts made every effort to achieve the desired shade. This struggle for a suit lasted for almost 4 centuries and as a result everything turned out: even today the image of a horse from Lipitsa is associated with the gray color of the coat. What is interesting is the requirements for the appearance of the Spanish Higher Riding School, where invariably along with the classic light must be present at least one dark horse. The tradition has long been established, but no one is going to violate it.

There is another specific color of this horse variety, namely:

• black skin;
• absence spots and patterns;
• only the dark color of the eyes, surrounded by light hair.

It is surprising that foals are always dark and only after some time, during puberty, acquire a characteristic gray color, while light horses usually immediately after birth have the same color as in maturity. And only the Lippician horse in this sense is an exception to the rule. the second oddity is that in all other varieties the color of the skin corresponds to the color of the coat, but here it doesn’t: black skin and gray coat. Paradoxically, it is a fact.

But not only the appearance distinguishes the animal against the background of the rest, but also the mind and good nature. She will find few equal in meekness and ability to make friends with a person. She quickly becomes attached to the owner and often even strangers, strangers shows sympathy, conquering these human hearts. She is obedient and balanced, but at the same time majestic and intelligent.

Training Secrets

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna teaches young stallions. This is a painstaking process that continues for several years for each individual separately. Demonstrate the skills of pets continue, like several centuries ago, in a special arena of the XVIII century. The atmosphere is indescribable and thought out so much that the performance of powerful horses under the light of candelabra seems to take the audience into the Middle Ages, leaving an indelible impression on life.

Most horses are lame, but not Lipitsian horse.A calm disposition not only honors the pet, but also protects it from unnecessary injuries with harmful consequences. Horses easily and painlessly get used to different living conditions and dietary changes. They suffer forced suffering and do not at the same time become aggressive and violent. All this explains their popularity among the military. Strange as it may seem, there have been cases in history when horses undemanding and well adapted to any living conditions decided the outcome of the war in their favor.

Where the breed is used

The story of the noticeable gray Austrians will be incomplete if you do not mention the features and scope of the horses. From the depths of centuries, owners of strong, muscular limbs have been used both for horseback riding and for draft purposes. It’s difficult to guess from a resting animal how effective it will look in motion. They are not used for walking, but also harnessed to crews.

And although the breed was brought out to participate in hostilities, for a long time she has been participating in numerous and varied shows both in Austria and abroad. in that, despite the fact that it was planned to keep this animal, he never had to participate in wars, but in dressage, she is an indisputable professional. Training programs for horses are more complex than for other breeds, but they master them easily and successfully, thanks to their natural intelligence and good learning.

Every tourist who visited Vienna witnessed how the Lipitsians ride people around the city harnessed to colorful carriages. But in the Austrian Alps they carry out horseback riding. Unfortunately, the total number of breeds in the world is only 3,000 horses.It is clear that this makes them even more valuable and each individual individual becomes significant, but the uniqueness of the animals should make horse breeders even more suitable for their breeding.

Even when crossed with others, all the advantages of the species are preserved. It is hoped that the situation will not change for the worse and the Lippitsian breed will not be on the verge of extinction, this will be an irreparable mistake of people. No matter how technically significant the progress 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 decorative than practical, but it should be.