Slovenia's dancing horses - 14th July 2022

This is the village of Lipica, in Slovenia. It's home to a very special breed of horse - the Lipizzaner. The animals are often called 'dancing horses'. They can perform dressage, which looks like dancing. The breed was introduced in the Hapsburg Empire, in the sixteenth century.

People came together in the village for the Lipizzaner farm's 443rd anniversary. They were celebrating something else too – UNESCO's now recognised the importance of this cultural tradition as well.

Miro Dragic is the head of the riders' team here at Lipica.

Miro Dragic: "The Lipizzaner horses are known for their ability for 'Airs above the ground' dressage, something we rarely see in other horse breeds. For the 'Airs above the ground' dressage, a horse has to have a very good balance and strength. Along with that, it has to be well trained if we want him to carry out demanding movements such as the levade, capriole or courbette."

The animals are well-known for being white, but the babies or 'foals' are born black. They turn white at the age of 4, when the training begins. The best animals are picked out to join the dressage teams.

Dragic believes that understanding each horse is of great importance.

Miro Dragic: "Lipizzans can have a strong temperament, they are usually calm, sometimes shy but kind. It is up to us to recognise the quality of each horse to be able to train it based on its talents."

Just one Lipizzaner's worth several hundred thousand euros.

For Laura Highlander, it's been her dream to see these horses.

Laura Highlander: "And I've always heard about the Lipizzaner horses since I was super excited to be able to come today and see them, in their training, and visit the rest of the facility as well."

Laura Highlander: "They are phenomenal animals, and and the way that they've been trained and the skill level of the riders is incredible!"

Lipica village has given its name to the Lipizzaners. It feels right to celebrate these amazing horses here.