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The Lippizzaner Stallions are coming to Pocatello
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Posted by Jen1180 Wed Jun 4, 2008 09:25:42 MDT
Viewed 207 times
0 responses 0 comments Start: Jun 7, 2008
Time: 7:30pm
Price: $22.50
What: The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions
When: Friday June 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Idaho State University Holt Arena.
Tickets: Tickets are $22.50 for adults, children (12 and younger) and seniors (60+) save $2 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the Holt Arena Ticket Office or by calling (208) 282- FANS.

By Jenny Wixom
jwixom@journalnet.com
    POCATELLO — The Lipizzaner Stallions, known around the world for their  grace and flawless ballet-like maneuvers, will be performing in the Idaho State University Holt Arena on June 6 and 7 as part of their 38th Anniversary Tour.
    The Lipizzan is a rare breed of horse that ranges in color from gray to pure white, although most are gray. They are known for their movements of classical dressage, or harmony between horse and rider, including their famous “airs above the ground,” maneuvers.
    These maneuvers include the levade, in which the horse raises both front legs and stands at a 45 degree angle; the courbette, where the horse stands only with its back legs and “hops;” the capriole, where the horse leaps into the air, tucks his hind legs underneath him and kicks out with his hind legs while in the air; and the croupade, which is similar to the capriole, except all legs are tucked under the horse’s body during the maneuver. Due to the complexity of these maneuvers, a horse will only learn one of them during its lifetime.
    Most of the horses that perform are purchased from a breeding farm in Austria. They begin training when they are about four-years old. They only train for 45 minutes a day due to their short attention spans.
    It takes about six to nine years to train one of the horses, and they retire when they are about 21 years old. From there they are entered into a breeding program.
    For the Pocatello show, 13 horses will perform these maneuvers as well as several others. New music and choreography have been incorporated into this anniversary performance. There will be an emphasis on the history of the Lipizzan breed.
    Lipizzans were trained for battle in Europe during the 16th century, due to their endurance, strength and speed. Eventually they were rescued from being war horses.
    “They were rescued at the end of WWII. First of all they were bred to be the perfect dressage horse, the royal family of Austria thought that riding style was falling out of favor at that time, we had just come through the Middle Ages and they wanted to  re-energize the riding style with a new breed of horse that would become synonymous with it. Over many hundreds of years of trial and error they developed the first Lipizzaner blood line,” said Troy Tinker, the Master of Ceremonies for the Lipizzaner show.
    Tinker is the only person who speaks during the show. He introduces the horses and riders and talks about the horse’s history where is appropriate during the show.         He says he and the riders have a special bond with the horses.
    “They’re just as individual as the people you know,” he said, “They’re sort of like our children.”
    Tinker was working as an announcer at Sea World in Florida when he was recommended to the Lipizzaner’s producer Gary Lashinsky by Sea World’s entertainment director. He has been with the group for 17 years.
    “It’s really been an amazing experience to travel the world. I imagine I will probably do this until I retire,” Tinker said.
    Tinker said that the Pocatello audience is in for quite a show.
    “ They’re going to see 13 beautiful horses and ten very skilled riders put them through their paces. We take steps and movements from the art of dressage and set them to music in an equine ballet,” Tinker said.
    He also noted that the audience will not be able to “meet” the horses before or after the show.
    “These are animals, they are stallions, and although they are very good boys they can go from zero to stallion very quickly,” Tinker said.

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