You might have seen the movie War Horse recently, but now there’s a chance to see war horses for real when The South African Lipizzaners perform at next month’s Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg.
Story: Andrea Abbott
These rare and unique white horses are the oldest ‘man-made’ breed, their origins dating from around the mid-16th century when a need arose for military horses that were strong and fast, thus enabling soldiers to manoeuvre nimbly in battle.
Today, many of those manoeuvres are replicated in the dressage for which the breed is renowned. They’re famous too for their ‘bombproof’ temperaments, loyalty and courage. If you haven’t seen them perform, you’re in for a treat.
Judy Vertue, one of the Directors of the South African Lipizzaners says, “It is always very special for us to perform at the Royal Show because it was at these very Show Grounds, in 1951, that the idea of forming a Lipizzaner team, similar to that of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna was first conceived.
Count Jankovich Besan, the Hungarian Count who had rescued his Lipizzaners from war-torn Europe and taken them to England, brought them to South Africa in 1948. In 1951 he met Major George Iwanowsky, an ex-Polish Cavalry Officer, at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg and the Count offered him a Lipizzaner to train. This was the beginning of the Lipizzaner team in South Africa, spearheaded for many years by Major Iwanowsky.”
The South African Lipizzaners are the only performing Lipizzaners outside Vienna that are recognised by the Spanish Riding School. And while their roots and ancestry are European (the base breed is Spanish Andalusian), they are now truly part of our South African heritage and have performed with, among others, The Soweto String Quartet.
At this year’s Royal Show, the horses will be performing with Bella Voce Africa, a group that has established an exciting reputation for itself not only in South Africa, but also in the UK following a successful a tour of that country in 2009. With a repertoire that includes timeless classics, opera and musicals, their voices will form a fitting backdrop to the noble white Lipizzaner stallions.
The programme will also include both new and traditional items, the breath-taking Solo, and the Grand Finale with the precision and elegance of the School Quadrille.
Performances on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 May at 6.30pm.
For more information on the Royal Show, click here