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.