Promotional video about the World Famous Lipizzan Stallions.

After finishing my Le Cadeau du Cheval mural mosaic panel, I’m ready to paint some more Lipizzans. I had a lot of fun taking photos of The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions (plus one Andalusian) last Spring. Between my husband and I, we took over 500 shots, and almost every one could be used as reference for a painting. Here are some of my favorites:

I think this is the same horse I painted for the Le Cadeau du Cheval mural mosaic. Isn’t he gorgeous?

I have a thing for boots and butts. This shows how close we were seated to the horses.

The Grand Quadrille.

The levade with rider Victor Pozzo.

Capriole!

Dancing to the big band beat of Benny Goodman’s“Sing, Sing, Sing” with partner Victor Pozzo, the head rider for the show.

Taking a bow.

If you get a chance, go out and see these horses! The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions tour the US and Canada regularly. If you’re an artist or photographer, rejoice, because they welcome still cameras and even flash. (Individual venues might have different rules, so check with them first.) There’s inexpensive seating available on the floor, so close to the horses you’ll get covered in horse spit. One thing I loved about this show was how the female riders didn’t suppress the huge smiles on their faces as they rode. You could tell they were having the times of their lives (as they should, riding Lipizzan stallions and wearing really cool boots), and it made me smile to see their joy.

Also located in the US are Herrmann’s Original Royal Lipizzans from Myakka City, Florida, and the Tempel Lipizzans of Wadsworth, Illinois. Check their websites for appearance schedules.

If you want to see the horses that started it all, it’s possible that the original Lipizzans from the Spanish Riding School in Austria might return to the eastern US for a very rare appearance in 2010!

©Copyright 2008 by Tami O. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Tami O’s website.