460 years of Lipizzaner: Celebrate the tradition and future of the Riding School!

460 years of Lipizzaner: Celebrate the tradition and future of the Riding School!

In the historic stable castle of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, a special news makes the hearts of horse lovers beat faster. On January 20, 2025, the Neapolitano Pastime foal was born, which was the first foal of the year in the renowned Lipizzaner Stud. Alfred Hudler, the managing director of the Hotschule, was pleased with the successful combination of tradition and future, which is in the breeding of this noble horse breed. In 2025, the Spanish Riding School celebrates its 460th anniversary, an occasion that directs the view of the long history of this facility.

The Hoffischule looks back on a first mention in 1565 when a document on the construction of a riding and tournament track at the Vienna Hofburg was written. Of the 356,000 guests who visited the magnificent halls of the Hofburg in 2024, 13 percent came from Austria. One more reason, the famous Lipizzaner, who were originally bred in different colors, but accepted the typical white in the 19th century, to pay a visit in the coming years.

an important cultural heritage

The Spanish Riding School is not only a center for classical riding art, but also the first institution worldwide, which can lead two traditional elements on the UNESCO list of the intangible cultural heritage of mankind: classic riding art and the high school. The knowledge of Lipizzaner breeding in the Piber Stud, which has served as the birthplace of the Lipizzaner stallion since 1920. What is special about this breeding is their internationally unique unique selling point: the Lipizzans are kept and bred according to ore traditional principles that have been passed on orally for over 400 years.

Thanks to multinational cooperation with countries such as Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia, the knowledge of the breeding of the Lipizzans was now officially recognized as a cultural heritage. Breeding is based on six stalls and 17 classic mare families that existed in the 18th century, which secures the continued existence of these noble horses and preserves the oldest cultural horses in Europe.

adventure offers in Piber

in Piber, the home of the Lipizzans, visitors can not only visit the historical stables inside, but also take part in entertaining tours and carriage rides. The stud connects traditional flair with modern leisure opportunities: the Piber climbing park with over 60 stations and gastronomic offers in the café restaurant round off the experience for the whole family. In beautiful West Styria, Piber is also only a stone's throw away from the state capital Graz.

Numerous improvements and extensions are planned for the anniversary year, including the installation of ventilation and disk systems in the stallburg and the greening of the farm. A special highlight are the demonstrations in the winter riding school, which was built from 1729 to 1735 and are presented in the various jumps of school, such as the Kapriole and Pas de deux. Tickets are available for both the ideas and for guided tours.

A truly interesting view is about to be ahead when the Spanish Riding School celebrates this impressive anniversary and the traditional care of the Lipizzans remains in focus. We would also be happy to recommend a stay in the "Imperial Riding School" in Vienna-Landstrasse for everyone who wants to experience history up close.