Lipizzan Association of North America
Lipizzan Association of North America
P.O.Box 1133
Anderson, IN 46015-1133
www.Lipizzan.org
e-mail c/o Tom Hull
Developed exclusively by the Hapsburg monarchy for its use during times of war and peace, the Lipizzan is the
true horse of royalty. Four hundred years of selective breeding have made the Lipizzan one of Europe's oldest
breeds of horse. The Lipizzan's historical and cultural development enhances its mystique. Physically capable of
withstanding the demands of the Airs Above the Ground, this baroque mount was bred to perform haute ecole
dressage at the Spanish Riding School and owes its survival to the intervention of American General George S.
Patton during World War II.
Named after the early Spanish horses imported in the 16th century, the Spanish Riding School of Vienna is the oldest surviving
institution of its kind in the world. Its primary purpose has remained the same through its history: to perpetuate the art of classical
horsemanship in its purest form and transmit it from generation to generation. To this end, the School has used the Lipizzan
exclusively as a horse capable of performing all the steps and movements of dressage, including the Airs Above the Ground -- the
Levade, the Courbette, and the Capriole.
Today Lipizzans are found beyond the borders of what was once the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Before 1930 the Lipizzan horse did not exist within the United
States. Opera singer Countess Maria Jeritza was given several Lipizzans by the Austrian government and imported them in 1937. In October 1945, the U. S. Army
Remount Service imported 9 Lipizzans (3 stallions and 6 mares , 1 in foal). It was not until the late 1950's that Lipizzans were imported in any great number.
Between 1958 and 1969 Tempel and Ester Smith of Illinois imported 1 stallion and 13 mares (5 in foal) from Austria, 7 Lipizzaners from Hungary and 6 from
Yugoslavia. In 1959, Evelyn Dreitzler of Snohomish, Washington, began negotiations with the Austrian government, and between 1959 and 1973, 3 stallions and 10
mares (1 in foal) arrived from Austria. Other importations have occurred during the past thirty years, each adding another dimension to the American Lipizzan genetic
base.
With less than 3,000 purebred Lipizzans in the world, the breed is considered rare, and the number of foals born each year is correspondingly small. Extreme care is
taken by those involved in the production of Lipizzan horses to insure that the purity of the breed is preserved. Much effort has been expended to develop
educational programs in order to foster voluntary adherence to the traditional breed goals and objectives. [adapted from Lippizan Society webpage}