Today, hundreds of thousands of visitors to Austria's capital watch the Lipizzaners perform classical equestrian arts. They appear from March through June, and September through December at the city's Spanish Riding School, adjacent to the Hofburg Palace. The school closes from June 29 to Aug. 30. The horses perform under crystal chandeliers in the ornate, white and gold baroque hall that resembles a ceremonial ballroom. Every muscle visible and controlled, they precisely trot in place.
Riders use no written instructions, but pass their skills by word of mouth through the generations.
Originally bred in Spain as early as Roman times, Lipizzaners are named after the Austrian royal stud farm at Lipizza, near Trieste, in Slovenia in imperial times. Archduke Karl of Inner Austria acquired the farm in the Karst mountain range in 1580. He started with six Spanish stallions and 24 brood mares. By 1728, the farm had expanded to house nearly 150 brood mares. European wars disrupted life for the Lipizzaners several times.