Lipizzaner Stallions Horse Dancing Show

So you think you can dance? Well, these horses sure can. The world famous Lipizzaner Stallions are touring the country, showing off their moves. We caught up with them in New Jersey to get a behind the scenes look.

Rhiannon: So you think you can dance, while these horses sure can. The world famous Lipizzaner Stallions are tour in the country in showing off their moves. We got up with them in New Jersey to get up behind the scenes look. Twelve beautiful horses and 12 skilled riders putting them through their paces with classical music and classic steps, it’s an equine ballet. Troy Tinker: They dance. They do. The steps and movements and protégé were named after famous movement from Prague ballet. Rhiannon: The world famous Lipizzaner Stallions have been delighting audiences young and old with performances for the last 40 years. But the breads history goes back even further than that. Troy Tinker: The equine ballet started 100 of years ago when these horses were used in battled but during peace time, composers like Mouret would write music for them to dance too. And then they were called grand carousels, beautiful garage and we still inherent that style of performance to this very day. Rhiannon: We met up with show’s MC Troy Tinker to get a behind the scenes look at these horses that dance. Troy Tinker: And this is their home away from home. They always travel on a very nice truck but they’ve never spend the night on it. Rhiannon: While on tour, the horses are pampered with daily bathing and brushing. Troy Tinker: When we wash them because we want them to be nice and white. Everyday before the show, they’re washed with a purple of bluing shampoo like someone might use to keep their gray hair shinny. And we add to that a condition shampoo that helps keep everything soft, shinny and condition. And then we used four different brushes to get them ready for the show. Rhiannon: They even get regular pedicures to keep their hooves extra shinny. Troy Tinker: They are treated like the royalty that they are and they should be. Rhiannon: It’s a lot to strand through and sometimes, they need a little bribing. Troy Tinker: Well, we did give them healthy treats too, but they love sugar and so we do give them sugar lamps from time to time especially when they’ve been good but they also get carrots, cereal, apple. Our Rider Roxanne Griffin is preparing to saddle up now. She’s going to use the saddle pad first, just a simple velvet tin show pad with trim, looks good under the lights against his white coat. Now, she’s going to use simply dressage saddle and put that not western saddle, but dressage. Again, that’s that classical ridings that we use in the show. Rhiannon: Out in the field, the horses and riders practice their dance moves. But whatever you do, don’t call them tricks. Troy Tinker: It’s very important to know that we don’t teach them to do tricks. These are maneuvers that they do naturally without any training for about the first four years of lives, who watched them playing at field then you understand what their talent for movement is about. Rhiannon: The horses are trained for six to nine years before finally going in front on an audience. Troy Tinker: It really gives about the partnership between the horse and the human when you’re working with them. And I think that partnership comes through in a performance. Rhiannon: And some of them just like to show off a little. Troy Tinker: The masseurs are very nice. Pluto Pompeian is a 15-year-old Lipizzaner Stallion and he is one of our future soloist in the show. He can do just about all of the maneuvers. A lot of people thing, dressage, it’s a little hide brow, little howdy dowdy. It might even be, part of my job is to bright it down, explained it to you so that anyone can understand it. Rhiannon: Love beautiful horses, one interesting side note every Lipizzaner in the world is named after his father’s blood line. And since there are only six blood lines in existence, that means only six possible names. Luckily the Stallions are also given nicknames to help keep them from getting on next step.