The Lipizzaners of Kyalami

A couple of things really hit home in the last half of this year.
One. Time is not really important. It’s what you do with your time that is important.
Two. Material things can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, whereas memories last forever. (memory loss excluded)
And three. Nothing is guaranteed in life, (except death, taxes and your hard drive crashing) spend as much time with the people you cherish as you possibly can.

This year when my birthday came around, instead of asking for material things, from those people who demanded birthday lists, instead I asked for a bit of their time to do something together.
This was why; one Sunday morning in October, my mom and I found ourselves at the Lipizzaner centre in Kyalami. These stunning horses have been on my “to see” list for a long time, I first saw them about ten years ago and was mesmerized by the performance.

It’s been really eye opening to see how few of my Joburg friends know what Lipizzaner’s are, about the centre or their history.
Very briefly, for those who haven’t had the pleasure. A Lipizzaner is a powerful and agile breed of horse whose origin dates back to the 16th century. Bred in Austria by the Habsburg Monarchy, for military and specialized riding school purposes. The breed survived near eradication during both world wars. In 1944 a select few Lipizzaner’s were rescued from war-ravaged Austria and brought to South Africa.
For a more detailed history, click here.

There are currently over 11000 registered Lipizzaner’s in 19 countries around the world, with the main stud farms situated in Europe, America, Australia and Africa.
The Kyalami Centre, which was started in 1960 has the only performing Lipizzaner’s (outside of Austria) which are associated with the renowned Spanish Riding School. The horses are trained in classical dressage and perform a myriad of graceful yet highly technical movements including jumps and kicks.
They have public shows every Sunday morning, it’s well worth a visit.

We managed to get front row seats on the grandstand, the audience behind us filled with young and old alike, all eager for the show. Many people, myself included, toting cameras or tablets, in the hope of capturing the magical scenes we knew would be unfolding before us. Our expectations were not disillusioned. It was magical.

The horses move with such flow, their legs crisscrossing effortlessly. It’s like watching the equine version of Lord of the Dance.

As the horses canter past us doing a circuit around the arena, we can just about reach out and touch them. The rhythm of the pounding hooves becomes an intoxicating sound. The ground shudders beneath our feet. Their nostrils are flared with the exertion. Their raw power is tangible, their spirit, and their majesty. And then within a few minutes they are back to waltzing diagonally across the arena. It’s quite a contrast. Scene upon charming scene, unveiling.

You then get to see the ‘classic’ Lipizzaner scene. Unmanned horses performing kicks and jumps and balancing acts. With names such as courbette, capriole and levade, these are the movements people come to see.

Before you know what’s happened the hour is up. The horses leave the arena for the last time, and suddenly you plonk back to reality.

Luckily you do get to see them again, as you are invited back into the stable yard to meet and greet the horses.
Like all highly specialized athletes, they expect their fair share of recognition after the show, and of course, lots of carrots.

Go see them. Be whisked into the historic, romantic, and magical world of the Lipizzaner.

(There are still a few shows left this year for their Carols by Candlelight with the Welsh Male Voice Choir of South Africa. Check it out. If you are away in December, remember Sunday shows from mid January will feature half price tickets)