The Lipizzan
By
Rebecca Dabbs, Boerne, Texas
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Bana Conversano,
aka Desche, owned by Sabine Schut-Kery of Waxahachie, Texas |
There are Lipizzans in Boerne Texas!
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Datana, owned
by Rebecca Dabbs, Boerne, Texas |
DATANA and IMPERIA have come a long way to finally call Texas
their home! Historically it is a miracle the Lipizzan breed is still in existence
today, with fewer than 3500 worldwide being able to see one of them is a rarity.
For a fortunate few we get to see them every day. In Texas we now have 12
registered owners and breeders of the Lipizzan, a number that is growing one
foal at a time. It is my pleasure to share with you the history of these rare
gifts from God, especially the two we have here in our town!
It all started in 1974 with a small advertisement by Raflyn Farms in the back
of a Western Horseman’s magazine. They were offering prestige and history
at an affordable price. My grandmother, Yvonne Fabian, read that article and
headed to Washington. She knew the opportunity to own a Lipizzan, one of the
rarest breeds in the world, was not to be taken lightly.
She laid eyes on one colt, PLUTO BONA II (Beau) and that it and he was sent
thousands of miles away to Rosebush, Michigan to begin his new life. Shortly
after his arrival fate intervened and the personal trials of my Lipizzans
had begun.
In 1975, the damn on the Snohomish River in Washington State broke and sent
a wall of water 20 feet high crashing through the valley with no warning.
This flood destroyed the very farm my Grandmother had just visited. Twenty-nine
out of 34 horses that were on the farm were drowned. MAESTOSO AFRICA
was rescued by his owner who led him out by rowboat, with TELKA, a prominent
broodmare, following behind with her head on his rump. TELKA died moments
after her rescue of a heart attack while standing in water up to her knees.
The 15 year old stallion PLUTO CALCEDONA, the sire of my grandmother’s
horse, survived the flood and was found on the railroad tracks, tangled up
in some wire. His fate was sealed that day along with the others, as it was
discovered after his sudden death a year or so later that he had swallowed
a rock during the ordeal. This rock had then become calcified causing a ruptured
intestine.
My Grandmother soon realized that she had something special and traded him
to a respected trainer. PLUTO BONA II
 |
Pluto Bona
II (Beau) |
was then shuffled around to various trainers, but eventually
ended up suffering abuse at the hands of man, and earning the nickname “Killer.”
This went on for years before Divine intervention stepped in and he was sent
to a well-known trainer for evaluation. After spending only 3 days with this
“crazy” horse, Carole Gauger knew she and this horse had been
blessed with a gift Carole then showed Beau the next few years in Exhibitions
all around the state of Michigan at Stallion Expos and Rare Breed Demonstrations,
promoting the wonderful Lipizzan breed. At the first Lipizzan breed
show ever held in the USA, Beau was named Champion Stallion at the age of
17, and received the highest scores of any Lipizzan evaluated in America. The
next year his son, PLUTO II DIXANA (Dix) was crowned champion (he was 3 years
old) and Beau was Reserve Champion. Both years the mate of Beau and
Dam of Dix, 332 DIXIE (Dixana) was named Champion Mare. In 1977 Carole then
began to help the fledgling U.S. LIPIZZAN REGISTRY, to become the official
breed registry in this country. Because of her efforts, and the few like her,
the Lipizzan is thriving here in the United States today. As for my grandmother,
she sold the rest of her Lipizzans and dedicated her life to the accomplishments
of Beau.
It never worked out in my life to have a horse. There was college, marriage,
and kids. So for my 30th birthday my husband encouraged me to take some riding
lessons. I began riding with Diane Spire at Kinswood Farms in Boerne and not
long after I knew I had to have a horse at home. I was in the market for an
off the track Thoroughbred, but for some reason I keyed in Lipizzan and this
is what I found…
LIPIZZAN RESCUE
A distinguished Lipizzan broodmare is caught in the middle of a dispute involving
lease/board/care issues. The stable owner has threatened to sell the mare
to a meat-packer. This mare needs immediate rescuing, and it’s believed
that the owner would release her papers with a $6000 purchase price. After
a little investigating I found out this mare was a daughter of my Grandmothers
stallion. It took us almost a year to work through all the details and DATANA
was shipped to Texas.
Upon arrival her driver asked me if she was “one of those rescue horses.”
Well she was, but we knew she had potential. Her training began immediately
and she has come along way in only 1 year of training.
As most horse owners know one is never enough so I began searching for a companion
and much to my surprise I found a farm in Parker Texas who just happened to
specialize in the Lipizzan. Diana Read owns “R” Lipizzans and
began her breeding program based on the PLUTO line. Because of her IMPERIA
joined our family this February. She is out of the same sire but different
dam than DATANA. We have plans for breeding both of these mares for Dressage
Sport Horses. DATANA will enter the show ring this fall and I am dedicating
my time and efforts to research and promote the Lipizzan. By writing this
article I have taken the first step.
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Sabine Schut-Kery
on Bana Conversano, aka Dusche |
Currently there are just a few Lipizzans in Texas; the most
remarkable is at Proud Meadows in Waxahachie. BANA CONVERSANO (Desche) has
been with Sabine Schut-Kery since he was an unbroken 3 year old who was imported
from Hungary to Germany. She moved to Texas in 1998 leaving him behind, but
with the help of the owners of Proud Meadows, Jim Mosebrook and Larry Riggs,
Sabine was able to eventually bring her Desche over here. Since then he has
pleased crowds all over the country with his incredible sidesaddle performance.
Desche is registered with United States Lipizzan registry and is available
for stud, contact www.proudmeasows.com for more information on him or their
beautiful Friesian Stallions. Many of you may have seen Sabine at the Alamo
Dressage Show in April with her Friesians; it was very hard to miss them.
Nancy Pizzamiglio who owns Dancing Horse Ranch in Aubrey, Texas has also had
her life changed because of the Lipizzan. “In 1963, The Spanish Riding
School performed in Chicago and I was immediately in love with the Lipizzan
horse. In 1982, I purchased the 4-year-old stallion SIGLAVY II OCTAVIA
from Tempel Farms. In the spring of 1983 we moved to our new Dancing Horse
Ranch in Aubrey, Texas. In 1986 we took Occey to the 1st Lipizzan show in
Mason, Michigan where he was awarded Reserve Champion Stallion. The
following year 1987, we hauled 3 Lipizzans to the 1st Lipizzan show in California
where Occey’s son SIGLAVY II ILSA I, was awarded Champion Junior Stallion
and Occey won 1st in the English Pleasure class. Both wins were under
Judge Dr. Jaromir Ouleha (former director of the Spanish Riding School).
Following the show, Dr. Ouleha urged me to learn to ride dressage.
So, in August of 1987, when a 17 year-old retired Quadrille Grand Prix stallion
became available at Tempel Farms, I drove to Chicago to pick up PLUTO II BONAVIA
II. After several months of riding Bonavia, I decided I needed dressage lessons
inasmuch as when I wanted to trot, all I could get out of Bonavia was the
Passage.
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Pluto Moorea,
owned by Nancy Pizzamiglio of Dancing Horse Ranch, Aubrey, Texas |
Both Bonavia and Occey died within a year of each other but
left me with a son/grandson, PLUTO MOOREA, which is currently for sale. He
is the finest Lipizzan that I have bred and it breaks my heart that I can’t
climb up on him and school him to Grand Prix.” Nancy can be reached
at 940-365-9491 for anyone interested.
Also in the Dallas area is a Lipizzan owner Sandy Holcomb who owns MUSICA,
a 10yr old mare from the PLUTO line. MUSICA and Sandy have focused their training
in classical dressage and will begin showing this spring. It is Sandy’s
hope to begin a very selective breeding program to produce only the most athletic
purebred Lipizzaner for dressage. She believes in breeding horses that will
excel in the dressage ring and remind people that they are indeed the original
dressage horse.
History and Origin of the Breed
Lipizzans represent over 400 years of select breeding. The Lipizzan (or the
Lipizzaner as it may sometimes be called) traces its history back to the early
1650s when the finest Arab blood was introduced and fused with the local athletic
Spanish horses during the Moorish occupation of Spain.
By the 1800s, there were no longer any original Spanish horses to be had,
and Arabs were chosen to replenish the Lipizzan line. Of the seven Arabian
stallions used, only Siglavy founded a separate dynasty. Of all the sires
used during the 18th and 19th century, only six of these horses were accepted
to found the family lines of the Lipizzan as known today:
1. CONVERSANO - black, a Neapolitan (b. 1767). Conversanos have Arab blood,
strong heads, short backs, broad hocks and dignified movements.
2. FAVORY - dun, a Bohemian origin (b. 1779), transferred from Kladrub. The
Arab influence is noticeable in the Favorys by their lighter build, but the
soft curve of their nose still calls to mind their Spanish ancestry.
3. MAESTOSO - white, a crossbred of a Neapolitan sire and a Spanish dam (b.
1819), transferred from Kladrub. Maestosos are powerful horses with long backs,
extremely muscular cruppers and heavy heads.
4. NEAPOLITANO - bay (brown), from another Neapolitan sire (b. 1790), Neapolitanos
retain their original tall, more rangy appearance and they have graceful movements
and high action.
5. PLUTO - gray, Danish stud (b.1765). Plutos, like their ancestors from Spain
and Denmark, are sturdy horses with a rectangular build, ram-like heads and
a high-set neck.
6. SIGLAVY - gray, Arabian (b. 1810). The Siglavys typify the Arab Lipizzan
with aristocratic heads, high withers and short backs.
In 1943, the Lipizzan breed was threatened with extinction by the German High
Command. Through the heroic efforts of the Spanish Riding School’s director,
Alois Podhajsky, the school was saved yet the performance stallions were not
returned to the school until 1955. In 1945, the perpetuation of the breed
was guaranteed by the American army, under the command of General Patton,
which retrieved the mares and returned them to Austrian soil.
Breed Characteristics
Lipizzans are not very tall, the largest stands about 16 hands, but their
proud carriage, muscular bodies and elastic, powerful movements make them
appear much larger than they really are. Lipizzans are late maturing and long
lived, many times to 35 or more years of age. They are born black or bay and
slowly turn “white” by the time they are five to eight years of
age. They are not fully-grown in size until they are seven and do not reach
full maturity until almost ten years of age.
Lipizzans are of sound, heavy bone and lameness is rare. They are extremely
adaptable to frequent or rapid changes in their environment and their feed.
Lipizzans have soft, broad backs and lively gait. Their powerful hindquarters
allow them to carry themselves with a natural balance.
The stallions are extremely docile and easily handled. They are, in fact,
easier to manage than the mares. Respect, once earned by the handler, will
always be there with the Lipizzan stallions. The mares, on the other hand,
tend to be a little bossy in a motherly way and must be reminded from time
to time that they cannot pull parental rank on the handler.
They rarely shy at anything, and if they do his back does not hollow out;
rather, a Lipizzan collects himself and the neck arches, insisting that the
rider take up more rein. The horse begins piaffe with exhilarating power and
boldness. He feels like a coiled spring just waiting for the command to capriole
through the air. If instead the rider gives to the horse the smallest amount
of rein, the piaffe extends to the passage. The Lipizzan makes even a beginning
rider believe, just for a moment, that he’s an old, respected riding
master.
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Imperia Elegant,
owned by Rebecca Dabbs, Boerne, Texas |
For more information about Lipizzans please contact The
United States Lipizzan Registry at http://www.lipizzan-uslr.com/, or call
Rebecca Dabbs 210-416-2588.