Lipizzaner Stallions at Patriot Center

The Famous Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria
Performed Sunday at the Patriot Center at George Mason University

Jack and I watched the horses do specialized walks, trots and canters to classical ballet music. This show brought back memories for Jack who when he was an army G.I. stationed in Ludvigsburg, Germany he was able to take leave and go with his army buddy Leon Wahba to Vienna, Austria to see the horses perform at the Spanish Riding School. Jack always loves to tell the story of how he and Leon got to see the horses perform for free thanks to Leon's ingenuity. Now that's a story for another day. LOL!

The Lipizzaner Horses that were moved from the Austrian breeding farm near Vienna to a farm near St. Martins in northern Austria were rescued by General George Patton and the Second Cavalry of the U.S. Army at the end of World War II. You can learn more about these horses long history by clicking here: http://lipizzaner.com/lipizzaner_frameset.asp

Be sure to look at the videoes of the horses performing their leaps in the air. Go to the left side of the homepage of The World Famous Lipizzaners and click on "Airs Above the Ground" to view these amazing ballet leaps. But first shut off my music on this page so that you can enjoy the music of Mozart and Strauss that these trained horses use to perform their routines.