The first Conversano came to Lipizza from
Naples in 1774. He was born in 1767 and was black
in colour.
Empress Maria Theresa married off her
favourite daughter, Maria Carolina, who was sister
to the ill fated Maria Antoinette, at age 16 to
the King of Naples. The new Queen took a number
of diplomats with her from the Viennese Court.
Amongst this entourage was Count Kaunits.
The
Count started a stud and was so successful that
he eventually possessed one of the best studs of
spanish horses in the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1774 he offered a magnificent
black stallion to the Royal Court. This stallion
was called CONVERSANO and became a serving stallion
at Lipizza at the young age of seven. It was he
who introduced black to the almost exclusively grey
stud.
FAVORY
Favory
Senior came to Lipizza in 1783 from the Old Imperial
Austrian Stud at Kladrub in Bohemia which was established
in 1578, two years earlier that Lipizza. Favory
was born in 1779 and was a dun colour. In 1893 Favory
XI was brought from Hungary to Lipizza as the serving
stallion.
MAESTOSO
Maestoso Senior was born in Spain
in 1773. He was transferred from the Royal Stud
in Kladrub to Lipizza in 1774 at age 10. Unfortunately
the line died out at Lipizza in 1837 Maestoso X
who was born in 1819 was transferred from Mezohegyes
in Hungary to Lipizza to re-instate the Maestoso
line. So, every living Maestoso traces back to this
stallion from Hungary.
NEAPOLITANO
In 1785 Lipizza received three stud stallions. One
was the 13 year old Neapolitano from Naples. At
the time, Frederico Grisone's Riding Academy had
been established there for 200 years. This stallion
had to prove himself in this excellent school at
age 13 and carrying the not so popular bay colour.
He amply justified the choice of his Austrian selectors
which is evidenced in the fact that all Neapolitanos
today carry his noble genes.
So
far, the founding stallions of the Lipizzaner breed
have been from Europe, but now we come to the beautiful
Arab, which has established itself so well within
the breed.
SIGLAVY
Darley
Arabian, Byerly Turk, Godolphin Barb. The ancestors
of the thoroughbred. The bloodlines of the Arab.
The principle genetic material to infuse into the
Lipizzaner if outside blood was to be added. Several
Arab sires were tried but only one asserted himself
within the breed.
So they chose Prince Schwarzenberg's imported Arab
stallion - Siglavy. This fiery little stallion only
measured 14.3.hands. He was born in 1810 and he
arrived at Lipizza in 1816. His diminutive size
and dainty body aroused quite a lot of talk among
the stable hands and riders who were used to working
with the much larger Spanish blooded stallions and
mares. He proved his worth and went on to be the
founder stallion of the Siglavy line.
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The
lines described above are what are termed as the
Classical Dynasties. There are two other stallion
lines to complete the eight accepted dynasties.
They are:
TULIPAN
The
Hungarian Jankovics family used to own Ureglak in
the county of Somogy. They also owned Teresovacz
Stud in Croatia/Slavonia. The family intensively
bred Lipizzaners. They also bred from original Spanish
blooded mares and mares they purchased directly
from Lipizza. From these bloodlines they produced
a new line which was called Tulipan. Despite this,
not one Tulipan stallion could be found in the Hungarian
Lipizzaner studs.
It was not until the Summer of 1969 that a black
stallion born to a Caprice mare joined the herd
at Szilvasvarad and thereby started the Tulipan
line. The black colour was retained and so Szilvasvarad
became known as the home of the black Tulipan line.
INCITATO
The Incitato line originated from Transylvania.
It derived its name from 'Incitatus' which was the
name of a horse owned by Roman Emperor Caligula.
A marble stable, an ivory manger, a purple robe
and a chain of pearls around his neck were the adornments
of the Emperor's favourite horse. The founder of
this line was born in Mezohegyes in 1802. He had
a Transylvanian sire and a dam of Spanish origin.
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LIPIZZAN MARE LINES
The mare lines used to establish the Lipizzaner
breed, were just as carefully chosen as the male
dynasties.
The female lines were formed at Lipizza and were
named 1 to 18 according to their origin. Unfortunately,
three of the original lines died out (Rosza, Khal
il Massaid and Mersucha). Fifteen remained. Five
came from Kladrub, three from Karst, three from
Radautz, one from Denmark and two from the East.
Two of the mares, Africa and Almerina went on to
found female lines at the Imperial Stud at Kladrub
which in the late 1860's received the heavy Italian
dray horses from Lipizza in order to produce a distinct
type which was named the Kladruber.
The pedigree's of the mares of Lipizza had to be
impeccable, as in the case of the stallions, and
only the best were retained to carry on the Lipizzaner
blood lines.
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