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If you aren’t familiar with the Lipizzaner, it is a rare breed with a long and fascinating history. Known for being a dressage and classical riding pro, it’s a staple of the Spanish Riding School in Austria. Although this breed has been endangered many times throughout history, there are now about 11,000 Lipizzaners in the world today, and that number will hopefully continue to rise.
Do you want to learn more about this beautiful and unique horse? Keep reading!
| Care Level: | Moderate |
| Temperature: | Most climates |
| Temperament: | Intelligent, easily trained, stubborn |
| Colors: | Mostly gray, occasionally solid black or bay |
| Lifespan: | 30–35 years |
| Weight: | 1,300 lbs. (stallion), 1,000 lbs. (mare) |
| Height: | 15–16.1 hands (stallion), 14.2–15.2 hands (mare) |
The Lipizzaner has been around for centuries and is rather well-known. However, there have been a few points in their long history where the breed almost went extinct. One of the more famous times was during World War II. The Spanish Riding School, where the majority of the breed was located, was situated in an area extremely close to enemy territory. The school was concerned about how safe the Lipizzaner horses would remain. But thanks to American troops who caught wind of the situation, all the horses were able to be safely relocated. There’s even a movie about this, called the “Miracle of the White Stallion”!
Lipizzaner Horse Characteristics
What Are These Horses Used For?
The Lipizzaner is a horse mainly used for jumping, dressage, endurance, and equitation. In fact, this breed is so good at these things that it often goes on tour to perform for the public. The Lipizzaner is most famous for its haute ecole (classical dressage forms), which features phenomenal jumps and awe-inspiring bounds. Some horses are still trained at the Spanish Riding School, where they are taught the original ancient methods for these techniques.
Due to the Lipizzaner’s strengths when it comes to these things, this horse is excellent for pleasure riding. Its jumping abilities and grace, along with its willingness to work and eagerness to please, mean that the breed is excellent for pursuits like light jumping or riding the trails.
Where Did These Horses Originate From?
The Lipizzaner has been around for ages, having originated in Europe in the 16th century. It’s actually one of the oldest breeds in Europe! Once a royal horse, it hails from Slovenia and was developed during the Habsburg monarchy. In fact, the Lipizzaner got its name from the Lipica Stud farm in that era. Since it’s the only horse to call Slovenia home, it has been recognized as the country’s national animal.
This breed came about because there was a desire for a light and quick horse that could be used to aid military troops.
Temperament & Intelligence of the Lipizzaner Horse
Lipizzaners are famous for being beautiful and regal, but that isn’t the only thing they’re well-known for. They’re also famous for their high trainability and intelligence (these aspects are why they’re used so much for dressage). Unlike many breeds that become stubborn and settle into their ways as they age, the Lipizzaner can still be trained well into their senior years.
That doesn’t mean this breed is perfect; indeed, it has an extreme streak of stubbornness, which can prove a hindrance to training it. It will certainly test the amount of patience you have! That’s why the Lipizzaner does better with people who are well-experienced in working and training with equines. Training this breed absolutely requires the ability and knowledge to handle them when they are being difficult. Thankfully, this strong stubbornness doesn’t show up that much.
In general, the Lipizzaner is gentle, sweet, friendly, and extremely eager to please, making it a wonderful companion horse!
Appearance & Varieties
If you’ve ever seen a Lipizzaner, you know that it appears to be white. However, it isn’t actually this color! Genetically speaking, this breed is gray. It isn’t born with this color of coat, though; when first born, a Lipizzaner has a coat that is brown or dark gray. As the horse ages, its coat fades to the famed “white” color (anywhere from 6 to 10 years of age).
This doesn’t mean that every Lipizzaner has this color, though. It’s incredibly rare, but there have been instances where a horse of this breed ended up with a brown, bay, or black coat. It doesn’t happen often, but if you come across a Lipizzaner that is brown, consider yourself lucky, as it’s thought to bring good luck!
Other than its white coat (which isn’t actually white), this breed is known for its compact body, small ears, large eyes, and proud carriage.
Things to Know When Owning a Lipizzaner Horse
Now that you know a little more about the Lipizzaner horse, it’s time to learn how to care for one of these beauties!
Habitat & Stable Requirements 🌾
A stable is essential for any horse, as this keeps it clean and safe from danger and the elements. Within the stable, your Lipizzaner will need a stall, the size of which will be determined by the horse’s size (a 12-foot-by-12-foot stall for a horse weighing 1,000 pounds is the standard). An 8-foot tall partition for the stall is also the norm, as this prevents horses from kicking their legs over the wall. It’s also advisable that each stall have a window for proper ventilation and lighting. Items to be placed in the stall include water (bucket or automatic drinker), a tub for feed, a ring to which you can tie your horse, blankets, toys, and other optional items.
However, your Lipizzaner can’t spend all its time in the stable, as this is bad for its health. Your horse needs exercise and mental stimulation, so turnout is vital. For this, it’s generally advised to have between 1 and 3 acres of pasture or land per horse.
Food & Diet Requirements 🥕
The required diet for a Lipizzaner is similar to that of other breeds. All horses need the basics of carbs, fats, protein, minerals, and vitamins, things that they can get via a diet of grain, hay, grass, supplements, and fresh water. The amount that a Lipizzaner needs to eat, though, will vary by horse. For one thing, it will vary by the life stage; young horses and pregnant horses need more to eat to meet their nutritional requirements. The amount that your horse eats will also depend upon its workload. Horses that are highly active will need more than those that only exercise infrequently. However, all horses will have to get 1.5–2% of their bodyweight in forage and need to drink about 15 gallons of water every day.
One good thing about the Lipizzaner is that this horse is what is known as an easy keeper, which simply means they don’t have trouble maintaining a healthy weight if they are on a properly balanced diet. But it can be prone to obesity, so you’ll need to be careful not to overfeed it.
Exercise 🐎
Lipizzaners, like all horses, require daily exercise. Exercising your horse each day ensures the health of the lungs and heart, a better immune system, and fewer behavioral issues. But how much should your horse be exercised? While this breed is active and athletic, it also doesn’t need intense workouts to burn off high energy levels. So, depending on the health of your horse and the type of work that it regularly does, it should be fine with anywhere between 1 and 5 hours of exercise each week.
Training 🐴
Training a Lipizzaner should be relatively easy, given how intelligent and trainable it is. The breed is also typically eager to please, simplifying the job. However, an issue may be the famous Lipizzaner stubborn streak that can make an appearance! This can prove a serious hindrance to the training process, which is why it’s best that someone with plenty of experience training horses trains your Lipizzaner.
Grooming 🧽
Horses enjoy being groomed and this breed is no different. As social creatures, horses enjoy being around their people, so grooming your Lipizzaner offers an excellent bonding opportunity. You’ll need to groom your horse every day, and due to its coat, this daily grooming is even more important. The color of the Lipizzaner makes it more difficult for it to stay clean, so you’ll have your work cut out for you!
Grooming your horse will involve cleaning hooves, currying and brushing, and combing.
Lifespan & Health Conditions 🏥
The Lipizzaner has a fairly long lifespan, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get sick. There are specific conditions you’ll want to keep an eye out for.
Male vs. Female
The only difference between a male and female Lipizzaner is their size (and even that won’t be a huge difference). Males will weigh a bit more than females and be just a little taller. Either sex will be athletic, friendly, smart, and easy to train, though!
3 Little-Known Facts About the Lipizzaner Horse
There are still a few things you might not know about this breed, so here are three little-known facts about the Lipizzaner horse!
1. The Lipizzaner is extremely rare.
If you’re searching for one of these horses in the United States, you’ll be hard-pressed to locate one. The breeding requirements for the Lipizzaner are stringent, so there are only roughly 11,000 of these horses worldwide.
2. Naming a Lipizzaner is tricky.
Why would naming one of these horses be tricky? After all, you can name it whatever you want, right? Actually, there are a few rules that are supposed to be followed when naming a horse of this breed. Stallions should have two names, the first coming from the horse’s sire and the second from its dam. For mares, the name is supposed to end with the letter “a.”
3. All modern Lipizzaner horses come from six bloodlines.
There are six stallion dynasties that today’s Lipizzaners can be traced to. These are Siglavy, Pluto, Maestoso, Conversano, Neopolitano, and Favory.
Final Thoughts
The Lipizzaner breed is a fascinating one. These horses have been around forever and have a unique and storied history. If you want to locate one, you likely will have trouble, though, as it’s rare. At a few points throughout their history, they were considered endangered, but there are now about 11,000 Lipizzaners in the world. If you do manage to find one, you’ll have an excellent companion and pleasure horse; just be wary of their stubborn streak!
Featured Image Credit: karengesweinphotography, Shutterstock
