Lipizzaner tour — Vienna

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There are only a handful of things left on my wish list of Vienna experiences for which I would kick myself if I didn’t do them while living in Vienna.  But, until last weekend, one of the biggest ones was still on that list.  Before I moved to Vienna, I saw a performance of the world famous Lippizaner stallions once when they toured in the US, and I saw a performance at the Spanish Riding School here in Vienna when I came to visit in 2010.  I’ve walked past to see them being cared for in their stables and visited the mothers and foals during their summer turnouts at the Burggarten.  But, as a lifelong horse lover and equestrian, I really wouldn’t have wanted to miss the “behind the scenes” stable tour.

20140618-155134-57094330.jpgMy friend, Elaine, was kind enough to join me — these things are always more fun with a friend, and though the kids are technically old enough for the tour (no children under 3), I didn’t think they’d enjoy it, so we left Dan with the kids and had a grown up afternoon (which is an exciting enough prospect for me, with or without major equine celebrities).

We started with a stop for soup, cake and coffee at the iconic Cafe Central, which was truly lovely.  (Seriously, the Viennese know how to make a piece of cake.)

But after that, we were on to the tour!  (In English — there is also a German-language tour.)  There was some kind of construction going on, so apparently our tour didn’t follow the typical route, but that was ok with me, because we got to start with the very best part — the horses themselves.  We weren’t 20140618-155135-57095275.jpgallowed to take pictures in the stables, which was a shame, because the horses are all so beautiful.  We couldn’t pet them, either (for safety reasons) but we were right in the aisle of the barn, peering into the stalls.  Our tour guide gave us lots of information — I was the obnoxious person who knew all the answers to the questions that the tour guide asked.  But although I knew the significance of having a bay horse in the barn (for good luck) and why each horse has two names (each horse’s name follows the same convention — they’re named after their father and their mother), I did actually learn a lot, even while being distracted by visiting with the beautiful horses.  I learned that the horses work for 2 months and then get 2 months off . . . plus vacations.  I learned that each horse has only one rider and that each horse only knows one of the advanced moves for which the Spanish Riding School is famous.  I now know that although the 20140618-155135-57095623.jpgvast majority of the horses are “white” (actually light gray, and they’re all born dark — that part I already knew), they used to come in many different colors until one of the Austrian emperor decided he preferred the white and bred them for that trait.  Now only about 1% of Lippizaners stay bay as they grow.

After ogling the horses for a while, we moved on to the tack room, which was not quite as thrilling as hanging out with the horses, but equally fascinating.  We saw the racks of practice and performance saddles and bridles, and learned that you can predict whether a horse will do one of the “airs above the ground” in a performance based on the color of the saddle pad he wears.  We learned that the performance saddles are individually made for each horse in Switzerland out of buck leather, and that they’re very expensive.  And we saw an enormously fat cat.

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We finished our tour with a stroll through the courtyard and past the world’s largest automatic horse walker on our way into the Winter Riding School with its fantastically elegant chandeliers.  There, we learned more about the process of becoming a rider for 20140618-155136-57096787.jpgthe Spanish Riding School — including that strong riding skills are not a prerequisite and that they accept only about one rider per year (fewer than .3% of the applicants) even into training — and the first two years of that consist mostly of cleaning tack and horse stalls.

It was great, and absolutely worth the €16 for the tour.  I did get the impression that our guide was a little out of sorts due to the change in routine caused by the construction, but I wasn’t able to get an answer when I asked what was different about the tour we got.  Regardless, I am so glad to have been able to go, and really grateful for Elaine’s company (and her patience with my constantly whispered commentary).  I had such a good time that I may just have to go back again to see the “regular” tour!

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Lippizaner surprise

We were out, first thing this morning, to pick up some medicine for Liam’s (now infected) eye.  It’s rare that I’m up and out with the kids before 9:30/10:00-ish without Dan, but we had been to the apothecary and were done with our errand before 9:00 this morning.  We stopped by Benjamin’s favorite fountain, which is right outside the store, and then I asked him (because I had no other immediate plans) what he’d like to do next.

“Ice cream!”  Well, I wasn’t sure if you could get ice cream in Vienna at 9:00 a.m. on a Wednesday, but why not give it a try?  (It turns out you can’t, although, frustratingly, the shops are open, they just aren’t serving ice cream.)  Unsuccessful, but no less enthusiastic, we decided to stop for a coffee (for me) and a cookie (for Benjamin;  poor Liam got nothing).  It was lovely to be out for a leisurely walk, but the day was already getting hot, so I decided to wander towards home.

On the way, we walked within a block of the stables for the Lippizaner horses at the Spanish Riding School, so I asked Benjamin if he wanted to see the horses or go home, and he wanted to see the horses.  He loves to peer through the windows of the stable for a peek of a horse sticking his head out of the stall, or someone doing chores.  We were very lucky this morning — they must do most of the cleaning chores in the morning, because there was more activity around the stables than we had ever seen before.  Stalls were being mucked, hay was being moved around, the courtyard was being swept, there was a tractor, too!  We even saw a horse being taken out of his stall and taken into the interior of the barn.

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We stayed for a little while, and then things started to settle down, so we prepared to leave.  I’m so glad we didn’t.  Just a moment later, Benjamin gasped and pointed, and I turned and looked — the horses were being brought out of their stalls and across the courtyard.  They continued through the door to the stable, though the little alcove where we were standing, across the street (where traffic had been halted) and into their performance hall.  They passed within a few feet of where we were standing, in a parade.  They were all groomed and tacked and ready to perform (or practice, I don’t actually know which).  They disappeared into the hall across the street and traffic began again.

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This definitely has to go on my list of favorite moments so far in Vienna.  I’ve seen the Lippizaners perform (once in the US and once here in Vienna when I came last year to visit Dan) but it was wonderful to have them so close, and more so for it to be such a surprise.  They were only there a moment, but there were only a few people standing in the entry to the stable as they came through — it was a very special experience.  I don’t know how many days a week this might happen, but I will do my best, in the future, to find myself outside of the door of the stable around 10:00 on Wednesday mornings, at least.