Reflections on Lipizzan Mares

I've spent a lot of time lately working with three younger mares, one somewhat green under saddle, one getting ready to be backed, and the youngest just starting her training. They're all strong, athletic, talented ladies, as they would be: they're Lipizzans. They're also reminding me every day of the peculiar challenges that go with this breed and this gender.

I'm a mare person. By the luck of the draw, every horse I've ever gone out and bought has been a mare. My boys were born here--bred, or bought in utero along with Mom. Most of my homebreds have been fillies, and that's exactly how I like it. When I place my order, in general I ask for the indoor plumbing.

And yet, there's this persistent rumble under the surface of the breed. The mares have a rep. The boys are the easy ones, relatively speaking: gentler, kinder, less difficult to train. It's not just that the ladies are too valuable as broodmares to take the time to turn them into dressage horses. It's that they're too opinionated to be worth the trouble.

I'll be fair. There's a grain of truth in that. I've seen difficult stallions and geldings, too--oh, have I. But for the most part, when the Bad Lipizzan stories go the rounds, they'll feature a mare. The kindest of them opines that, well, they're just motherly, you know? They resent any time taken away from the vital job of raising babies. If you absolutely insist, they may give in, but you'll be constantly pushing against the mare's conviction that Mother Knows Best.

Here's the truth: She usually does.

SWLA Recommended Reading List

From the facebook fan group, a not-too-oldie and very-goodie:

 

 

SWLA Recommended Reading List

Originally published in the Southwest Lipizzan Newsletter Summer 2009

I hope that I am not the only who believes that today’s high tech entertainment doesn’t compare to the enjoyment one gets from a good “old fashioned” book . So, the next time that you find yourself desiring to some horse-related reading then you may want to consult the list that SWLA members compiled for this newsletter. It was a treat for me to compile this book list because I found many new ideas for reading material, not to mention that I was reminded of some that I had forgotten. Guess what? I discovered that of the members who contributed their personal reading lists, every single one had a Podhajsky book listed! So, I decided to note on this if a particular book was recommended by more than one person with a star * next to it.
For the future, if you discover another horse book that you’d like to recommend to other SWLA members, we can certainly continue to add to this reading list on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to send me your new favorites as well and we can let people know about your recommending reading suggestion in an upcoming newsletter. (Email Katherine at sambabamba@hotmail.com )

I have arranged the reading by subject, so that if you want a novel then you won’t pick up a book about the technicalities of dressage training. If you happen to want to read about training, horse care, or a book about the Lipizzan horse breed I have compiled those particular lists as well. I do kindly ask that you forgive me if you feel that I have categorized a book incorrectly....For example, I find it tough to decide if certain Podhajsky books would be more “Lipizzan” or more related to “Riding”. Regarles of whether you discover or even rediscover on this list, I hope that you will enjoy your time with a good book. These are even more special because they come directly from SWLA members who appreciate good reading themselves.

Lipizzan-related:
Lipica by Milan Dolenc (a coffee table book)
The Imperial Horse by Isenbart and Buhrer (a coffee table book)
Lipizzaner-The Story of the Horses of Lipica, Commemerating the 400th Anniversary of the Lipizzan (a coffee table book)
The Spanish Riding School by Hans Handler
My Horses, My Teachers by Alois Podhajsky *
The White Stallions of Vienna by Alois Podhajsky*
The Spanish Riding School by Mathilde Windisch-Graetz

Lipizzan stories:
Pluto the Brave Lipizzan Stallion by Anne Colver
The White Stallion of Lipizza by Marguerite Henry*
Florian by Felix Salten (This was made into a movie!)
Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart

Riding and Training:
Classical Schooling with the Horse in Mind by Anja Beran
Academic Equitation by General Decarpentry
The Ethics and Passion of Dressage by Charles DeKunffy
The Dressage Formula by Eric Herbermann*
Tug of War by Gerd Heuschmann
Dressage with Kyra by Kyra Kyrkland
Enlightened Equitation by Heather Moffet
Riding Logic by Wilhem Müseler
Biomechanical Riding by Nancy Nicholson
The Complete Training of Horse and Rider by Alois Podhajsky *
The Riding Teacher by Alois Podhajsky
Centered Riding by Sally Swift
Centered Riding 2 by Sally Swift
Balance in Movement by Suzanne Von Dietze
For the Good of the Horse by Mary Wanless
For the Good of the Rider by Mary Wanless
The Natural Rider by Mary Wanless
Ride with Your Mind Essentials by Mary Wanless
Dressage by Henry Wynmalen

Horsemanship and Husbandry:
Riding Towards the Light by Paul Belasik
The Soul of a Horse by Joe Camp
Think Harmony with Horses by Ray Hunt
Horse Owner’s Guide to Natural Hoof Care by Jaime Jackson
Natural Horsemanship by Pat Parelli*
Straightening the Crooked Horse by Gabriele Rachen-Schoneich and Klaus Schoneich
Horsemanship by Waldemar Seunig*
A Lifetime of Soundness by Hiltrud Strasser

Congratulations to Favory II Gabriella II-I (aka "Bon") and his new, loving owner, Jill Muchmore, whose paths have become one.

Bon is now residing in Oklahoma, enjoying his new life as Jill's teacher and the fourth member of her herd of horses. Here is a picture of them, a couple days after Bon's arrival, after several fabulous rolls in red, Oklahoma mud. Bliss!

Jill is a newcomer to Classical Dressage, but is not new to riding. She found the perfect horse for her goals and is very excited about the journey that lies ahead of them. Congrats Jill and Bon... may you have many fabulous rides together!

Lipizzan Q&A: Lipizzans Can't Do Dressage?

Q: My trainer says Lipizzans can't do dressage. He's disgusted that I insist on buying one of those dinky little things (his words). Is he right? Should I just forget about it?

A: Certainly not. But you might want to consider changing trainers.

So why is this belief so prevalent? My response at first was a stunned silence. The horse for whom and by whom the art of dressage was invented, "can't do dressage"? Is "just a circus horse"? Just isn't suitable for "real dressage"? What can these people possibly mean by that?

Usually I've found that they mean competition dressage. Let's walk delicately around the brawl over Classical versus Competition, and look at the average horse pictured in, say, Dressage Today. He's big. He's brown. He's a Warmblood of some variety or other. He's nearly always depicted in the show ring, one foreleg at its fullest extent, performing an "extended" trot.

You interject, "My trainer said Lipizzans can't extend!"

But of course they can. A true extension comes from collection. Lipizzans are born and bred to collect. They also have a free shoulder and a strong, supple back. What they don't have is height. And long legs, which can be thrown a good foot farther out front even while the hindlegs are paddlewheeling along in the next county. They're smallish, short-legged, solidly built horses, and as such, won't impress judges with the sheer size of their stride.

Does this mean they can't compete, let alone win? Not a bit. If they're ridden and trained correctly, they'll show very well, especially now that the "average" dressage horse is getting smaller, lighter, and less exaggerated in size and movement. And, because they're built and designed for collection, and have the mind to go with it, the higher they go, the more suitable they are. They're not the best horses to spend a life at training and first level with, but once collection enters the equation, they have an increasing advantage. Nor need they be short little choppy movers, either. Many Lipizzans being bred these days can compete favorably with Warmbloods in that department—they win scores of 8 and 9 for their movement, as well as delighting judges with their brilliance and stage presence.

Go ahead and buy that lovely-moving Lipizzan with the great mind and the willing attitude. Who knows, your trainer might become a convert.

Lipizzan Q&A: My Lipizzan Is Weird!

Q: Everybody tells me Lipizzans are no different from any other smart, sensitive horse.  They kept telling me their Arabian, Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Warmblood, whatever acts just like this, and I'm just getting carried away by the mystique.  How do I explain to them that there are times when this horse just does not act normally, and whatever I try to do with him that worked with my Arabian/Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred/Warmblood/whatever is (literally) biting me on the butt?

A: You can't explain.  Nobody who hasn't been there will understand.  What you can do is accept that these are not horses, they are Space Aliens in horse suits, and just smile and be polite to the "MY Horse Does That TOO" crowd.

The following things are completely normal for a Lipizzan: 

• They're smart.  I believe that in general they're about as bright as a three-year-old human child.  They're not so good on abstracts, but concrete concepts get through just fine.
• They're sensitive.  You can't bully a Lipizzan.  Either he shuts down and turns to stone, or you discover that he really is genetically predisposed toward the Airs Above the Ground.  He is also a warhorse, which means that where another horse might run, he may stand and fight.  This can backfire severely with trainers who view horses as purely flight animals, and don't allow for a horse who fights back.
• They understand English (or French or German or Spanish or whatever language you like to speak to your horse).  You can talk to them, and in fact explaining a new exercise before you execute it can be very helpful.  If you treat your Lipizzan like a fellow sentient being, he'll respond in kind.
• They are powerful one-man horses, sometimes to the point of trouble.  They are not good at generalizing from the Chosen Human to anyone else, and have to be taught to acknowledge any other human's right to tell them what to do.  This is a great deal of fun in a boarding situation, as too many of us know.
• They have really low idiot tolerance.  Inept handling on the ground and poor or imprecise riding will result in a horse who is difficult or impossible to handle.  This is particularly evident in connection with vets and farriers. My first Lipizzan ran through three or four farriers in her first year before we found one who understood about a horse who can feel the nails go in for the shoes.

Yes, any individual horse may do all of these things, too. But with Lipizzans, it's a breed trait.

Once you survive the learning curve and find horse pros who don't argue when you tell them how your horse needs to be handled, you find that every horse you meet (once he gets over the shock) responds favorably to being handled that way. You may, in some cases, find the horse practically weeping on your neck, he's so glad to be approached softly, with respect, and listened to when he says something.

Lipizzans are teachers before they're anything else. Even before they're Space Aliens.

Ephiny's Training Diary: Session 3, Illustrated!

New installment of Ephiny's Training Diary on my livejournal, with illustrations. Progress! Happy ears!

http://dancinghorse.livejournal.com/270088.html

I love the Lipizzan mind. It can be so challenging, but once the horse figures out what we're doing, she's with me 100%.

Ephiny's Training Diary

I posted the first installment of Ephiny's Training Diary on livejournal today. Life with Lipizzans, courbettes included. http://dancinghorse.livejournal.com/269347.html

Enjoy!