A horse is a horse, of course – but Lipizzaner stallions are in a category all their own. And when they trot into the arena of Madison Square Garden tomorrow for one show only, they’ll bring with them a centuries-old tradition in dressage. That’s highly trained riding with natural movements, or “horse ballet.” These animals
have some serious pedigree; the rare breed is 450 years old.
Here they come: two long rows of horses and riders, marching to the beat in perfect harmony. There’s Strauss, there’s prancing, there’s a flash of bright white flanks – the stallions have made it to the Big Apple.
When they first originated in Vienna, Austria, only noblemen were allowed to own the beautiful beasts. Nowadays, there are only 3,300 of these creatures in the world.
Times have changed, but the Lipizzaners haven’t; they’re still raised in Austria on the Piber Stud Farm and trained in Vienna’s famous Spanish Riding School.
They earn their title as the “world’s most impressive horse” in part because they can trace their lineage back to Julius Caesar.
But lest anyone think that they’re just resting on their genetic laurels, there’s this: It takes a lot of hard work to be a performing Lipizzaner. It takes anywhere from six to eight years to get a Lipizzaner to the Olympic level of competition that audiences will see at the Garden tomorrow.
The stars are the horses themselves, but there’s a cast of characters behind the scenes working to make these superb animals look even better.
Michael Poulin, bronze-medal winner for the American dressage team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has worked with the horse trainers for years. And the show producer, Gary Lashinsky, imported Lipizzaners three decades ago from Austria to the United States. He flew the horses over on 747s, and trained them in Orlando.
They’ve been part of a big touring show, hitting many cities around the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. “We’ve even FedExed them before,” says the impresario,
who has been devoted to the animals, putting on touring shows of Lipizzaners.
His promotional credits include such acts as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades and rock concerts for bands such as The Who.
Before tomorrow’s show, the horses will sleep in thoroughbred stalls at the Meadowlands racetrack, eat “hay and oats and vitamins to keep their coats shiny,” and then make the journey to the Garden via tractor-trailers.
According to Lashinsky, you don’t have to be an equine expert to appreciate the show. Even though it’s packed with exhibition-level dressage, it was created with pure entertainment in mind.
Don’t speak Lipizzaner? No worries. During the performance, a narrator will explain all the complicated stuff – i.e., the significance of the breed, what dressage is all about, and all the movements as they’re being performed. Plus, there’s plenty of stunning costume changes.
Viewers can expect to see moves like “the capriole,” in which the horse actually jumps high in the air, kicks out his back legs, and lands on all fours. (Watch out back there!)
Or how about “the levade,” wherein the horse lifts the entire front of his body and leans back at a 45-degree angle – with the rider still in the saddle. And most difficult of all is “the courbette,” where the horse jumps in the air and hops.
For the fanfare-filled finale there’s “the grand quadrille,” when eight Lipizzaners and their riders prance, march and do incredibly complex maneuvers, including lateral movements, at the highest level of dressage.
“It appears as if the horse is actually dancing to the music, but really they’re following the cues of the rider – from his legs and seat and hands,” says Lashinsky. “It’s a classical style of riding that goes back over 2,500 years.”
Enjoy the show, but parents, take note: When your kids are done seeing this show, they’ll be howling for riding lessons.
Tomorrow’s show starts at 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25.50 to $125.50, with discounts for kids under 12 and seniors. For more information, visit thegarden.com or call (212) 465-MSG1.