Four-Footed Ballet - The Lipizzaner Stallions
Trained in the haute école, or high school of classical dressage, the internationally acclaimed Lipizzaner Stallions are the prima ballerinas of the horse world.
The 12 to 14 performing Lipizzan stallions execute their signature “airs above the ground” or extreme jumps and hops, originally used by riders as a defensive battle maneuver. Combined with intricate prancing and marching, the horses put on a spectacular “dance”.
The all white Lipizzan breed were first bred when Austrian Archduke Karl created a royal horse stud farm in 1580 in Lipizzan, Austria. Breeding powerful Spanish horses for royalty, over the next couple centuries, other powerful horse breeds were intermingled to improve the Lipizzan herd.
During WW-II, the Nazis captured and moved the breeding stock to a German-managed farm. But toward the end of the war, and after hearing of the location of the horses from captured German officers, General George S. Patton, a former Olympic equestrian competitor himself, agreed to rescue the horses from the approaching Soviet army. It was feared, the underfed Soviet soldiers would slaughter the herd for meat. The 1963 Disney movie, The Miracle of the White Stallions, tells the story of Patton and his troops saving the horses from certain extinction.
Only 250 Lipizzans survived the war, but the breed was saved and today there are about 3,000. And some of these famous horses are available for sale or stud.
The Lipizzaner Stallions
Patriot Center
4500 Patriot Circle
Fairfax, VA 22030 (map it)
Dates and Times - Saturday, Nov. 24th at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 25th at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets - Adults - $25.50, $33.50 and $41.00, Seniors and kids under 13 - $2.00 less, and are available online.
Nearest Metro Subway Station - Vienna - Orange line, then a 10 minute cab ride. Cabs are NOT usually waiting for passengers after concerts so it’s smart to make prior arrangements.
Parking - Parking is included in the ticket price.
Images - courtesy of The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions© _________________________________________________
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