Lipica Things to Do

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Lipica was founded in 1580 and has a long tradition in horse breeding. The buildings you see around the property have been rebuild and restored in the 19th century, they are kept very well, clean and they give a feeling of organization. The real star are the horses, almost all of them with royal blood in their veins. The most precious stallions are kept in big stalls and they all looked like they have a personal care taker who keep them clean, brushed and in general, handsome.

When I visited in mid June it was very hot so most of the youngest horses, the mares and the foals were not in the stables but in the fields around the main core of the farm.

The guided tour was very interesting, the guide showed us around and explained in great details the history of the Lipizzaner horsed and of the farm itself. He was very informative and also fun to listen to.

Check their site for a detailed timetable and prices list.

This was the main reason of my visit, I was going to be in Trieste, Italy and I found out that very day the performance was going to take place.
It is a wonderful demonstration of how smart, handsome, elegant and powerful Lipizzaner horses are. For a rider it is a great experience, second only to actually ride one of those fantastic creatures.
They show a perfect harmony between horse and rider, the performance has different music theme to accompany the move and it does seems like they are dancing.
As you will be told before they start, the exercises require a lot of concentration by the horses and the riders so you will be required not to clap until they are finished and to avoid the use of flash when taking pictures. As a personal suggestion, out of my own experience, I would say that a scared horse does not enjoy his work much...

You can see more picture about the performance in my travelogue here

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The guided tour include a visit to the museum that has been inaugurated in 2011.
It is mostly addressed to children but it is still very interesting. It show the evolution of horses from their appearance on hearth with some very well preserved and rebuild skeletons.
Than it goes on illustrating horse mood and habit.
A very interesting installation show the different mantel's color from when they are born to mature age, a process I still find quite amazing!

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t Lipica they have a very nice tour of the horse stables where you are shown around by a local multi lingual guide that tells you about the story of the horses, takes you through the stables and at the end you see a dressage show with the horses.
I am a tour guide and do many tours for a living around the world and i can tell you that this is really one of the top tours of this world.
And this comes from aperson who is not really that interested in horses.

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Lipizzaner originates from Slovene Karst horse which was later refined with other breeds.
In the year 1580 3 Spanish stallions were brougth to Lipica,they had Berber, Pyrenees and Arab origin.

Lipizzaner breed has built its exceptional reputation due to its characteristics which include: elegance, docility, endurance and a moderate nature.

Today, the Lipizzaner is bred in six national stud farms: Piber in Austria, Ðakovo in Croatia, Fara Sabina in Italy, Szilvasvarad in Hungary, Simbata de Jos in Romania, Topolcianky in Slovakia and Karadjordjevo in Serbia.

There are about 4.000 Lipiizzaners in the world, 700 in Slovenia. In Lipica stud farmthey take care for cca. 350 horses.

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Lipica is a cradle of Lipizzaner horses from all over the world , founded in 1580.
From then on Lipica stud farm is breeding purebred Lippizaner horses,from last century they also have their own classical riding school.

Guided tours are as shown below:

January
10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00
February
10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00
March
10.00(*), 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(*)
April
9.00(*), 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00(*)
May
9.00(*), 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00(*)
June
9.00(*), 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00(*)
July
9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00
August
9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00
September
9.00(*), 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00(*)
October
9.00(*), 10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00(**), 17.00, 18.00(*)
November
10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00
December
10.00, 11.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00

* Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only.
** With the Classical riding school presentation at 15.00 hrs, the tour to the stud farm is scheduled at 14.00 hrs or at 16.00 hrs.
*** Except Easter Monday and 25th June.

Performances of classical riding school are from April to October on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 15.00. Bold

Extra performances on public holidays at 15.00:
1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, 1 and 2 May, 25 June, 15 August, 30 December.

Remark: With the Classical riding school presentation at 15.00 hrs, the tour to the stud farm is scheduled at 14.00 hrs or at 16.00 hrs.
Extra performances of the classical riding school are available by prior arrangement.

Training sessions of the classical riding school

Visits to training sessions of the classical riding school
From April to October, every day, except Monday: 10.00 - 12.00 hrs.

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Tours of the stud farm can be taken in a variety of languages and there are oppertunities to see the horses dance. Our timing was completely out so I couldn't comment on whether it is worth watching the "shows".

The Lipizana horses are beautiful. Starting life brown and then turning white as they mature. This is no longer the only Lipizana breeding farm in the world - but obviously the first and most famous.

The horses that were out in paddocks were all very gentle and came to see us for a fuss.
The horses that were in stables were the "show" horses and they were exhausted. They are obviously worked very hard and the routines are very tiring. Thus much said all horses appeared to be very well taken care of.

There is a room (or there was when we were there) that has been turned into a gallery for paintings of the Lipizana horses. Our guide enthused over the gallery but my children were bored senseless and I preferred to spend the time with the horses.

The Chapel of St. Anthony of Padua is a pretty little chapel that is located on the grounds of the Lipica horse farm and is visited as part of the horse farm tour. The chapel was built in the 1600s and then remodeled in the 1800s. It features a beautiful frescoed ceiling.