Love Those Lipizzaners!

Did you ever see that Disney movie called "Miracle of the White Stallions"? It was based on the true story about those beautiful white stallions, the Lipizzaner horses, how they were rescued from the Germans during WWII with the help of General George Patton....The Lipizzaners were originally bred as war horses, then as horses of nobility, and now they are continuing to amaze and impress people from all over the world, performing in shows as a form of equestrian art.

Well, their winter training grounds are in Myakka City, FL, about 40 miles from Peace River Preserve, the campground we are staying at, so we decided to go see them. They don't charge admission, they hope that you will appreciate their efforts to give the retired stallions a home and help them keep their operations going through donations.

Now, I'm not a horse fan, never had an intense interest in them like some girls do when they are young....I was always somewhat scared of them. Had some bad experiences at camp when I was young. I went for rides where they gave me the "most gentle, docile" horse, only to have the horse do what it wanted to do when it wanted to do it, and then the camp leaders would say, "I don't know why Bessie is acting this way, she never does that!"  The horse probably figured out very quickly  that THIS rider had no clue what to do and it was PARTY TIME! But I do appreciate equestrian ability and well trained horses that do what they are supposed to do! These horses were magnificent creatures.....Except for Zack, who dissed me when I went to visit him in the barn.....He sort of reminds me of Mr. Ed, that talking horse on TV....

When you go to the Hermann farm/training center in Myakka City, you can see a show that demonstrates the training that the Hermann family do with these horses, and it looks like the family members are just about all girls!  The girls take the horses through their paces while people watch in grandstands set up around the arena....

They have the horses demonstrate the war horse moves...these horses would strike fear on the battle lines with their rearing up and kick backs with their hooves....

This horse below was the youngest stallion and boy, did he cause the others to get a little rambunctious as the family members put the horses through their paces....And that long mane, just like a teenager who doesn't want to get his haircut! :-)

It was impressive to see what these horses could do....

Not being a horsewoman, it was hard to know exactly how difficult these moves were....

At the end of the show, the family brought out the youngest members that will train to be riders of the Lipizzaners.

All in all, it was an interesting afternoon spent at the Hermann family farm and training center for the Lipizzaners....We were glad half the grandstands were under the shade of an immense old oak tree, it was a hot day! We really enjoyed seeing these beautiful horses, it was something very different from the usual touristy things we do.....See you later!