The Lipizzaner horse breed is known for its ability to perform crowd-pleasing skills. The performance, however, is not just entertainment.
The Lipizzaner's leaping ability and the maneuvers they are trained to perform helped protect and defend their riders from attacks as they were taken into battle centuries ago.
"They're maintained as a living form of equestrian art," said Gary Lashinsky, producer of the 32nd annual performance of the Lipizzaner stallions.
The show will appear today at 7:30 p.m. in Worthen Arena. This year's performance is the fourth time it has been performed in Muncie. It will be narrated to explain each part of the show's technical and historical aspects.
"The horses could go into competition, but we show it as entertainment," Lashinsky said.
About 2,500 Lipizzans exist in the world. Lipizzans are white in adulthood, but they are born black. Six to 10 years after birth their color changes, but some are born pure white. The show features up to 14 Lipizzaner stallions and two other breeds, the Spanish Andalusian and the Arabian.
"The horses are very quick and willing to learn," Lashinsky said. "They're nimble-footed and very powerful."
"Airs about the ground," a segment of the performance, exhibits the breed's leaping ability which came from the animals' training to protect their riders.
"The leaps are the part of the show that the horses are most famous for," Lashinsky said.
The show ends with the "grand quadrille," a military drill set to music with six to eight horses.
Dressage is another part of the Lipizzans' training. Dressage is the perfection of the horse's natural gait, such as the walk, trot and canter. This exercise takes skill from both the rider and the horse.
"It's a family-oriented opportunity for the area," said Dan Byrnes, director of Sports Facilities and Recreation at Ball State. "If you have any kind of sense of history, you will enjoy the show."
Coincidental events helped the breed survive during World War II. The Spanish Riding School, located in Vienna, was where Lipizzans were bred.
As Allied bombers attacked Austria in 1945, Col. Alois Podhajsky, the head of the Spanish Riding School, tried to arrange for evacuation of the Lipizzans in Vienna.
Gen. George Patton knew Podhajsky and was given a performance of the Lipizzaner stallions. Patton then ordered the horses to be wards of the U.S. Army until it was safe for the horses to return to Vienna. Without these events, the Lipizzaner breed might not have been preserved.
Ticket prices are $17.50 with a $1 facility fee. Children under 12 and seniors over 60 can receive a $2 discount. VIP seats are available for $19.50 with a $1 facility fee. Tickets can be purchased at the Worthen Arena ticket office and at Ticketmaster.
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