Lipizzaners kick their heels in Jackson
By By Penny Randall / staff writer
March 21, 2003
A Lipizzaner Stallion is a horse bred for beauty, intelligence and grand display.
They move, leap and dance with the elegant grace of ballroom dancers, fused with athleticism of a natural gymnast.
Now on their 33rd anniversary tour, the Lipizzaner Stallions will make appearances in Jackson on Tuesday and Wednesday and then the following week in Starkville for two shows.
The show will feature the stallions performing dramatic routines that include the following:
Levade. The horse must maintain a hunched position at a 45-degree angle to the ground, requiring muscle control and perfection of balance almost beyond belief.
Courbette. The horse balances on its hind legs and then jumps, keeping the hind legs together and the forelegs off the ground.
Capriole. The stallion leaps into the air, drawing his forelegs under his chest at the height of elevation, and kicks out violently with his hinds legs.
Pirouette. While balanced on his hind legs, the horse is required to pivot in a half circle or full circle before coming down on all four legs.
Walt Disney's motion picture, "The Miracle of the White Stallions," depicting the rescue of the horses by Gen. Patton's men during World War II, helped publicize the Lipizzaners in the United States.
The Lipizzaner has been referred to as the aristocrat, the nimble dancer and aerialist of the equestrian world. It is believed that the forerunner of the Lipizzaner was bred in Carthage, more than 2,000 years ago.
The horses, who live to be 30 to 35 years old, start training at age 4. The horses are born black or brown and gradually turn completely white in six to 10 years. About 2,500 Lipizzaners exist today.
WANT TO GO?
What: Lipizzaner Stallions.
When: March 25-26 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Equine Expo Center in Jackson.
When: March 27-28 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville.
Tickets: $19.50 for adults and $17.50 for children 12 and under and seniors over 60.
For information: (601) 353-0603 in Jackson or (662) 325-0508 in Starkville.
