Lipizzan Breeding Investigated
by June Boardman
To breed or not to breed, that is the question.
This year, 2005, marks the 425th anniversary of the Lipizzan horse. For
most of its history the Lipizzan has been the property and concern of
European government breeding programs. Originally bred for the Hapsburg
Nobility and later for agricultural use and selection for the famous Spanish
Riding School of Vienna, Austria. Very few Lipizzans were privately owned
until after World War II. The breeding stock has been carefully evaluated
and tested by the most rigorous standards. With the decline of horse-drawn
farm equipment in the former communist countries and the reduction of
government support to the major European stud farms, the responsibility of
maintaining the purity and integrity of the breed lies more and more on the
shoulders of the private breeder. We must take it seriously.
Lipizzan owners decide to become Lipizzan breeders for many reasons. Some
want to reproduce a dearly loved horse. Others hope for that wonderful
winner and the joy of the show ring. While others plan to produce high
quality foals for sale.
Before one decides to breed a Lipizzan mare, there are several questions
that must be asked. First, what is the mare ownerąs goal in producing a
foal? Second, can the mare owner evaluate his/her mare's strengths and
weaknesses and select a suitable mate considering the best cross "on paper"
and "in the flesh"? Third, is the mare owner equipped to handle the
complexities involved in breeding and caring for a pregnant mare and
socializing a young foal?
For most of us, our horses become beloved members of our families. That
lovely white mare that taught you or your child to ride and still plays such
an important part in your daily routine. She keeps you grounded in reality
when the modern world tries to run away with all reasonability. Wouldnąt
you love to clone her? To create another one just like her? Many loving
mare owners would. Is that your goal in breeding your mare? If it is, then
you may be able to find a suitable mate for your mare in your area. Since
you are looking to produce a pet and not a competitor or sales horse, you
will have the widest selection and potentially the least expense involved in
stud fees. Your goal should still be to produce a healthy, sound, and
athletic foal with a good temperament. The stallion just down the road may
not be the best choice if he does not improve on your mare's faults or is
too closely related to her. In that case, you will save money in the long
run to look a little further afield in your selection. The Lipizzan
registries allow for transported fresh and frozen semen. Many stallion
owners are prepared to ship and will help you with making the necessary
arrangements. Although shipped semen many be a little more expensive due to
the addition of collection, shipping, and veterinary expenses on the mare
owner's side, it is still less expensive and safer than shipping your mare
long distance to be live covered at the stallion's home.
For the dressage or driving competitor, the idea of creating the perfect
champion is very tempting. Can you form that lucky genetic and environmental
package that will have you, his breeder, standing beside the Olympic podium
proudly receiving the accolades of the dressage world? If this is your
goal, you are facing a more complicated challenge. Not only will you need
to find a stallion that can compliment your mare's strengths and improve her
weaknesses, and is not too closely bred, but now you must find one from a
family line that has a history of successful work in the area you wish to
compete. In general, the Eastern European lines (Silvasvarad, Hungary,
Topolchiaky, Slovakia; Forgras, Romania; and Djakova, Croatia to mention a
few of the stud farms) have been bred for driving and the Imperial Lines
(Piber, Austria; Lipica, Slovenia) for advanced dressage, the haute ecole.
Study the pedigrees and determine where the various ancestors were bred. If
you can find a stallion that has had a successful performance career and
produced successful performers, you can hedge your bet. Usually these
horses will have the most expensive stud fees, but will give you the best
chance of breeding success.
The Lipizzan is an equine treasure, rare and unique in the horse world.
Foals should certainly bring a healthy price if they are produced for the
market. Is your goal to breed foals as a business and to offer them for
sale? If so, you have taken on a real challenge. You must not only produce
what you like, but what will sell. One must resist the temptation to change
the breed to meet market demands.
Often new breeders decide that they can sell more Lipizzans if the horses
could be taller - say 16 hands or more. In the past many experiments to
increase the height of the Lipizzan have met with failure. Type and
athleticism are sacrificed when height is the goal. Good modern horse
husbandry and improved feeds seem to be increasing the height of the horses
slightly over the generations anyway. In addition, the driving type tends
to be taller and heavier than the imperial type.
Because the Lipizzan is so rare, most potential buyers do not think of them
when they think of buying their next mount. If a breeder is to be
successful in selling foals, he must advertise and promote his breeding
horses and/or their off-spring. This can be an expensive and time
consuming. Because this is a breed which used for sports that require long
years of training, most buyer prefer to select a horse that is near training
age. For the breeders that means and investment of one year of prenatal
care and two or three more years before the foal is sold. In other words,
there is a major investment in the baby before it brings an income to the
breeder. If the youngster is kept to a training age, the cost of training
must be added into to the sale price, too. Is there money to be made
breeding Lipizzans? Yes, there is, but only if the quality of the product
is high and the breeder can afford to maintain the horse until the buyer
comes along. The best way to sell is not to "have to sell". After a few
sales, these horse begin to sell themselves. One happy owner creates sales
by showing all of her friends what a great horse she has. The long and the
short of breeding Lipizzans for sale is it takes time. This not a get rich
quick scheme.
Which ever reason lures you into breeding the Lipizzan mare requires that
you carefully evaluate you expectations of the foal you are about to attempt
to produce. If your mare is a darling, gentle and loyal, but not of gold
medal conformation and movement, don't expect her to produce the Olympic
champion. If your goal is the Olympic champion, be prepared to do a lot of
homework, spend a lot of money, and hope for unbelievable luck. If your
goal is commercial production of Lipizzan foals, be ready to wait and be
prepared to advertise and promote.
Regardless of the breeder's goal, the decision to breed a Lipizzan mare and
to whom to breed her is a multifaceted concern. At best estimate there are
fewer than 5,000 purebreds in existence in the world, an amazingly small
number. Just the simple fact of the Lipizzan's rarity causes some serious
breeding concerns. In such a small population the probability of
inbreeding must be considered. Inbreeding means that the gene pool becomes
too small to produce healthy, normal individuals. At this time, research
shows that the genetic base of the Lipizzan horse is broad enough with
enough individuals available for crossing that the breed is still in a
healthy genetic state. If, however, future breeders do not carefully
evaluate the genetic crossed they are producing, the gene pool with be
reduced to the dangerous point. Such problems as infertility, skin
problems, and loss of the "blessed" temperament will begin to appear.
So, how can the breeder avoid this problem? Here is a simple rule of thumb-
do not mate horses that have any common relatives in the first four
generations counting the potential foal's sire and dam as generation one.
Occasionally, a common ancestor in generations three and four can be
acceptable if that common ancestor is known to be a strong producer of
healthy off-spring. Common ancestors in generations two and three should
be strictly avoided.
Equally important to the consideration of breeding goals and inbreeding
avoidance, is the question of complimenting and, hopefully improving, the
mare's conformation and movement. Regardless of the breeding goal the mare
owner should have a good understanding of what a Lipizzan is. With such a
small population, many owners have only seen a handful of Lipizzans.
Owners should attend some of the Lipizzan breeding stock evaluations which
are held in different areas of the country each year. The American
Lipizzan Breeders Association (ALBA) oversees these events and also hosts
seminars for breeders and potential Lipizzan judges. ALBA strongly
encourages the evaluations of all breeding mares and stallions, age three or
older, and prior to the beginning of their breeding careers.
Here is a brief description of the nucleus of "Lipizzan-ness".
Lipizzan Breed Description
Conformation
General - The Lipizzan is an average sized horse with individuals ranging
between 14.0 hands and 16.0 hands. The optimum height is 15.0 to 15.2
hands. The Lipizzan tends to be slightly rectangular in shape. The bone
structure is large in proportion to its height. Foals are born black,
brown, or dark gray, but the adult color is predominately gray, appearing
white, with a few individuals remaining black or bay through out their
lives. Flea specks are seen frequently and are not considered a fault.
Head and Neck - The head and neck display the baroque character of the
Lipizzan. The head may be straight or slightly convex in profile. The eyes
are large, dark and expressive. The jaw is pronounced especially on the
stallions. The ears are small and active. The neck is strong, arched and
high set. The poll area should be long enough to allow the head to become
perpendicular to the ground without pinching the area of the salivary
glands. The mane may be long and flowing or fine and short.
LI>Shoulders and Withers - The shoulders are muscular and will vary in
length and slope. The withers of many Lipizzans are low and wide. Modern
breeding practices encourage a more sloping shoulder and more pronounced
withers.
Legs - The joints correspond to the bone structure and are strong and
well defined. The hooves are also large, well formed and have unusually
thick walls. Both the front and rear cannon bones are short compared to the
upper leg. The pasterns are strong and often rather short. The legs should
be straight with no deviation from the center line.
Back - The back and loins are strong and well muscled. The back should
be of medium length to allow for bascule, the upward rounding of the back
required for collect movements.
Croup and Hindquarters - The croup is slightly rounded The hindquarters
are deep and muscular. The tail is set somewhat high and is carried
expressively.
Top line - The line from the poll to the tail should be smooth with no
points or lumps.
Movement-:
Walk - The walk should be active and regular with over reaching steps.
Trot - The trot shows suspension and expression. Some individuals
display more distinct knee action than others. The horse should show the
ability to collect and extend the trot.
Canter - The horse should leap actively into canter with a rounded back
if it is to be used for riding. Driving horses may use a move lever action.
As with the trot, the horse should show willingness to collect and extend
the canter.
In all gaits the horse should move freely and without excessive
paddling.
The Lipizzan at liberty will perform the airs-above-the-ground including
levade, courbette and capriole without training. Canter pirouettes,
passage are also displayed for the joy of the movements by even the
youngest.
Character and Temperament:
The Lipizzan is highly intelligent and easily trained. Friendly and
inquisitive, even the stallions are very manageable and pleasant to handle.
Due to their intelligence, each Lipizzan is an individual with a unique
personality. Their intellect can be developed to enhance their performance
capabilities. The ideal trainer for a Lipizzan will be one who thinks
through the questions the horse asks and can respond with in a variety of
modes. It is important that the trainer and rider keep in mind that the
Lipizzan matures late both physically and intellectually. These horses
should not start serious training until they reach the age of three and a
half to four years of age.
Pedigree Documentation:
A Lipizzan is considered a purebred if every ancestor in its pedigree is a
documented purebred tracing in every line to one of the original Lipizzans
or to an accepted breeding experiment produced by a one of a small group of
recognized stud farms. The breed is now closed to non-Lipizzan horses.
Buyer have the right to expect a registration certificate from one of the
recognized registries and a five generation pedigree when purchasing a
purebred Lipizzan. In the United States the United States Lipizzan Registry
and the Lipizzan Association of North America both register purebreds and
partbreds.
The mare owner should evaluate the mare in each of the above categories
without prejudice otherwise known in horse circles as "barn blindness".
Chose the characteristic in which the mare deviates most from the ideal, and
look for a stallion that is good to strong in that area. There is one
caution here. If a mare is 14.0 hands tall and the breeder wants to produce
a 15.2 hand foal, breeding to a 17 hand stallion will probably produce less
that the desired results. The same will be when selecting for length of back. If
the mare is very long, a better result will be produced from breeding to a
medium backed horse than to a very short backed horse. Major changes to
breed type cannot be accomplished in one or two generations after over 400
years of genetic selection.
The last major consideration before deciding to breed is the mare owner's
ability to handle the complexities involved in breeding and caring for a
pregnant mare for eleven month, foaling her, then socializing a young foal.
On this topic thousands of pages have been written in every horse magazine
and veterinary journal. I will just touch on a few points here.
After selecting the dream stallion for the mare, the mare owner must book
the breeding and prepare the mare for either live cover or artificial
insemination. First, the mare owner must contact the stallion owner as
early as possible to book the mare to be bred. Most stallions owners can
only accept a certain number of mares to be bred by their horse each season.
The stallion owner will provide the mare owner with a stallion contract that
will outline the responsibilities of each party and list any live foal
guarantees or other provisions. It is common for there to be a booking fee
which will be safe a space for the mare to be bred to the stallion and is a
part of the stud fee. Usually this will be about $25.00 and is due when the
mare is booked, the contract is signed by the mare owner and returned to the
stallion owner. Stud fees will vary in the United States from between $500.00
and $2,500.00 . The contract will list the health requirements for the mare
before she will accepted for breeding to the stallion. These requirements
are needed to assure a disease free mare and assure for the best results for
the production of a viable embryo and pregnancy.
Commonly, the mare will be required to be current on all vaccinations and
worming and to have had a recent Coggins test if she will be housed at the
stallion's breeding farm. A uterine culture on all mares that have had
prior breedings and/or pregnancies is usually required. Mares that have
been or are expected to be problem breeders may also need a uterine biopsy
before breeding. The biopsy will rate the mares chances of successfully
carrying a foal to term. The best rating is IA. Mares with II B ratings
can carry to term, but have fewer chances of success. Mares with III
ratings are not good choices for breeding. Most stud farms will also
require that the mare is otherwise healthy and safe to handle by the stud
farm staff. Mares that are not halter broken will not usually be accepted.
In addition to the expense involved in shipping and preparing the mare for
breeding, the cost of board at the stud farm can be added. Board will vary
but can be as little as $4.00 per day or as much as $25.00 per day or even
more. Be sure that you understand what the cost of board will be. Mares
with foals at side will require additional facilities and care and will
generally cost more than open mares. If you plan for the stud farm to
attend a mare when she foals there will be a fee for that, as well.
Veterinary expenses will also vary, but one can count on a minimum of two
ultra sounds, one to evaluate the progress of the follicle and one to check
for a pregnancy. If the mare is to be inseminated, a more careful
tracking of the follicle will be required. The use of frozen semen further
complicates the situation as the mare should be inseminated within six hours
of ovulation.
Given that all goes well and the mare become pregnant on the first heat
cycle, the owner can now expect to wait about eleven months for the foal to
arrive. During that time the mare's general health and well-being should be
monitored. She will require special attention to her vaccinations, weight,
and exercise. Pregnant mares can work up to delivery, but very hard work at
the end of gestation is not recommended by most veterinarians or breeders.
Consult with a veterinarian in your area to plan for the needs of the mare
nutritionally. Feeding requirements will vary according to her work
schedule and the attributes of the feed available in each location. Avoid
over-feeding or under-feeding.
At the time for foal approaches a safe clean place for the mare to give
birth must be selected. A twelve by twelve foot stall is not large enough.
Give the mare a spacious, quiet, clean area. Straw bedding is a better
alternative for than shavings. Most mares foal at night, so a ligh' in the
area will be helpful to the attending humans even if the mare doesnąt care
less. Discuss with a veterinarian the signs of approaching labor, what to
expect, and how to recognize signs of trouble. Foaling problems are rare,
but if they occur, the situation is always dangerous and can be life
threatening. Get help immediately if you expect any difficulty. This is
not the time to scrimp on the vet bill.
After the foal has been born, it should be monitored carefully to assure
that it nurses and that its systems are all working normally. The navel
stump needs to be treated with iodine promptly to avoid a disease called
navel ill which can kill or cripple the foal. You will probably want to
have your veterinarian examine the mare and the foal soon after birth.
Many horsemen perform a process called "imprinting" on the newborn to begin
its socialization process. At the very least the foal should be caught and
handled from a very early ages. However, one should avoid interfering with
the nurturing of the mare. Many mares are nervous at this time and can be
dangerous and overprotective. Beware that even the gentlest mare may be
overtaken by her maternal instincts for a few days following birthing.
Lipizzan mares are very good mothers, but sometimes they are indulgent
mothers as well. Not every mare will have the same abilities to train and
discipline her foal much the same as human mothers. To help the new mother,
particularly if it is her first foal, train her baby to follow her is to
turn the two out together before introducing them back into the herd. This
practice will help avoid foal-stealing mares and general chaos during
reintroduction. If you must raise the foal alone, provide as much exercise
room as possible.
Foals should be handled regularly, learn to lead and have their feet picked
up. The best time to begin this process is when they are very young and
more easily captured. A certain amount of strength and tenacity is required
to accomplish this early training. Even young foals have opinions about
what they want to do and do not want to do. If the breeder cannot
accomplish this critical initial training for any reason, a trainer should
be employed.
This year 2005 marks several important anniversaries for the Lipizzans here
at White Horse Vale. It is the 425 anniversary of the foundation of the
breed in Lipizza (Lipica, Slovenia). It also marks the 60th anniversary of
the rescue of the Lipizzan mares by U.S. soldiers under the command of
General George S. Patton. This year also marks our twentieth anniversary of
breeding Lipizzans here at White Horse Vale. My husband, Leonard and I can
personally attest to the fact that breeding Lipizzan horses is a challenge,
but seeing a beautiful foal capering at its mother side makes all the
efforts of the breeder worthwhile. Each spring brings with it the promise
that the noble Lipizzan breed will continue to thrive and carry the equine
art of the Baroque Era into the future.
We invite you to visit our farm and our web site often. Evaluate the
results of our Lipizzan breeding program for yourself.
- June Boardman
November 2005
White Horse Vale Lipizzans
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