WHEN PONIES FLY
Meet the leaping Lipizzaner stallions coming to New Jersey
NEW Yorkers may be captivated by horse-of-the-moment American Pharoah, fresh off of his Triple Crown victory — but wait until they lay their eyes on the Lipizzaner stallions.
The acrobatic horses — known for their stunning white coats and balletic leaps — will begin performing at the State Fair Meadowlands on Friday.
“Kids love to see the horses stand on their hind legs and bow,” says trainer Gabriella Herrmann, 61. The Lipizzaners’ most notable moves — called “airs above the ground” — include the courbette, where the horse jumps on its hind legs, and the capriole, in which the horse leaps from four feet then kicks out his hind legs. For the levade, the horse rises to a 45-degree angle and holds it, a move that helped kings and officers survey the battle grounds. “It takes a lot for a 1,000-pound horse to do this,” Herrmann adds.
The trainer, who cares for 30 horses on a 200-acre farm outside Sarasota, Fla., will bring 12 of her Lipizzaners to the fair. They travel around the US for weeks at a time, with at least a month’s rest between performances.
The horses have a storied history — one that was made into a Disney film, “Miracle of the White Stallions,” in 1963. Since the 16th century, Lipizzaners have been the royal war horses of Austria; Gen. George S. Patton and Col. Ottomar Herrmann (Gabriella’s grandfather) and his son, also named Ottomar Herrmann, rescued hundreds of these beauties from behind enemy lines during World War II. The younger Ottomar was later knighted for his efforts, and founded Herrmanns’ Royal Lipizzan Stallions — named after the stud farm from which the breed originated.
When Sir Herrmann died in 2004, Gabriella took over the family business.
The horses start training when they are nearly 2 years old. Early on, Herrmann looks for natural movements to determine which foals will excel at certain moves. “Those with high-knee action are natural dancers,” she says. “Those who are jumping and bucking are good for airs-above-the-ground moves.”
It takes up to two years for horses to learn a basic routine, how to work with other stallions and to perform without being distracted. Horses train three or four times a week; sometimes 30 minutes, sometime more. Frequent breaks are key. “If you do too much repetition, they get burnt out,” says Herrmann.
In addition to the Lipizzaners, trainer Caroline Williams will be in attendance with her two Friesian sport-horse stallions, a dancing Andalusian horse and a miniature horse. She has a farm near Herrmann’s for her stable of six.
“We point, spin, arch together,” says Williams, 46, an eighth-generation member of a circus family who specializes in “at liberty,” where she guides her two black Friesian horses around the ring untethered. “It’s a little bit of a dance to show people these big animals are very sensitive to communication.”
The women themselves don’t need to prepare for performances — their daily routines and chores keep them fit. “It’s very physical,” says Williams. Herrmann agrees: “I stay in shape by cleaning stalls and training these horses.”
And it’s a job that comes with limited time for rest; Williams hasn’t had a vacation in decades. “I can’t leave them,” she says. “If you don’t love doing this with all your heart and soul, you can’t do it.”
Seeing audiences’ joy at watching these horses is its own reward for the equestrian trainers. The horses? They get treats. “Back in the day, at the end of every night, my father walked through the barn with a bag of carrots,” Herrmann recalls. “He’d say, ‘These are my performers and they’ve given me such a good life, I can only reward them with carrots and say good night.’ ”
“Lipizzaner Stallions & Horses of the World Show,” June 19 - July 5 at the State Fair Meadowlands Fairgrounds in East Rutherford, NJ; 973-355-5911, njfair.com.