T
he Szilvásvárad National Stud is the second largest Lipizzaner breeding facility in the world.
Located around 160 kilometres from Budapest, it sits in a natural wonderland of forests, lakes, waterfalls, and even prehistoric caves. I met stud director David Cseri to take a carriage tour of the property and learn about the Lipizzaner’s long and interesting history, and what lies ahead for them.
Lipizzaners in Hungary An accomplished show jumper and lover of Thoroughbred racing, David is also a historian with three published books on Hungary’s equestrian heritage, and when called on for military duties, serves in the Hungarian hussars as a reserve captain. His main aim now though, is to promote the Lipizzaner breed to the world and see Hungarian riders compete internationally with locally bred horses. He tells me that horsemanship has been an integral part of Hungarian culture since the first Magyar tribes crossed the Carpathian Mountains on horseback to settle on the Danube plains. Although an influx of oriental horses followed the conquest of Hungary in 1526, the Hungarian court later imported Spanish and Neapolitan horses to create the Lipizzaner, a horse, which thanks to their natural ability, temperament, and spirit, is as physically able to withstand the demands of warfare as they are
F E AT U R E
the difficult movements of classical dressage. By the 19th century, Lipizzaner
The beauty of Baroque
horses were popular throughout the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the aftermath In the aftermath of World War I, the Empire was largely dissolved and the Lipizzaners were divided between the new postwar nations. The Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture moved their horses from the
With its spectacular horses and a pristine setting, the Szilvásvárad Lipizzaner Stud is a sight to behold, writes JESSICA MORTON.
Carpathian Mountains to first Bavaria and then to Bábolna, near Budapest. In 1933, two Hungarian cavalry generals founded a sister school to Vienna’s
