Famous white stallions to dance at city velodrome

Military horsemanship known as ‘‘airs above ground’’ will be performed by lipizzaner horses showing off their famous paces at the Invercargill Velodrome tonight.

El Caballo Blanco: The Dance of the White Stallions has brought nine horses on a tour of New Zealand to demonstrate stylised dress- age moves developed in central Europe in the 16th century.

The lipizzaners – a breed that can be traced to AD800 – was used in the Spanish and Austrian military and is a cross of spanish, barbary and arab stock and the now-extinct neapolitan breed.

It was a breed known for its agility and power, director and owner of El Caballo Blanco Rene Gasser said last night. Andalusian and friesian breeds – similar to the lipizzaners – were also used during the performances, he said.

The sixth generation of a Spanish and Swiss family involved in equestrian performance, Mr Gasser said his daughter, Katherina ‘‘GG’’ Gasser, 13, was the seventh generation to ride the famous stallions for an audience.

‘‘She was riding before she could walk,’’ he said yesterday as he watched her rehearse on Apollo – the oldest of the performing horses known affectionately as ‘‘the professor’’ – and supervised the famous movements such as the pesade and the capriole, a jump in the air where the horse tucks its front legs under while kicking out with the hind legs.

Moves were all performed on the rubber matting on the floor of the Velodrome, which travelled with them wherever they toured, The horses were flown from Australia, where the El Caballo Blanco show is based, to Auckland at the beginning of the month for the New Zealand tour.

El Caballo Blanco performs today at 2pm and 7.30pm at the Velodrome.