War horses

WASILLA — With pounding black hooves and flashing white muscles, Napoleonic figures will invade Wasilla on Wednesday.

The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions will storm the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center for their first performance in the Valley. The 13-horse show will display the power and majesty of riding at the highest level, producer Gary Lashinsky said Friday.

“Based on the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, we present the horses in a traditional performance,” Lashinsky said. “But, we are more of a family entertainment experience. There is history and narration throughout the show.”

The history of the Lipizzaner stallions dates back more than 430 years, Lashinsky said. With studs and mares of a long lineage of the world’s best stocks, Archdukes Maximilian and Karl of the Austrian empire began breeding horses built for battle. Named after Lipizza, the town they were bred in, the stallions became renowned for their balancing and aerial maneuvers not only in defense of their riders, but offensively attacking their opponents as well.

The horse that was bred for war almost saw its destruction in a conflict soon after mounted cavalry became obsolete from the modern battlefield. The stock was threatened in the World War II by bombardments and hungry Viennese citizens. General George S. Patton took to the cause and authorized two offensives to secure first the stallions then the mares.

In addition to their role in mounted cavalry, the Lipizzaner stallions became a mark of aristocracy and nobility. The Spanish Riding School in Vienna showcased the ability of the stallions with the guiding principle of symbiosis of horse and rider.

The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions coming to Wasilla continue in the tradition of the Viennese style of dressage. The goal is to have the horse do complex movements with as little show of rider exertion as possible. The graceful movements of dressage is also the style of Olympic horse presentation, Lashinsky said. It takes years to reach Grand Prix dressage, the highest level a rider can achieve.

In addition to the dressage movements, the Wednesday show will feature the signature “Airs Above the Ground” segment, Lashinsky said. The aerial movements mimic those the Lipizzaner stallions were first known for. The horses tuck their legs and jump through the air in the capriole movement. They buck up and down repeatedly for the mezair. They walk on their hind legs for the courbette.

To become a rider with the show, you have to already have a high level of proficiency, Lashinsky said. Even then, there are years of practice until a rider’s first performance, often with the help of school horses that teach the riders. The end result is a Grand Prix level team of horse and rider in a continuous state of training.

Of the 10 riders and handlers coming for the tour of Alaska, four are at the Grand Prix level. They hail from all around the world, but the head rider, Tony Jackson, is originally from Nikiski.

Riding since he was 4, Jackson said he performed in shows, rode in rodeos and did pretty much anything you could do on horseback.

“I saw the Lipizzaners when they toured in ‘87 and did a show in Soldotna,” Jackson said. “I saw the show and wrangled an audition. The next spring, I graduated from high school and have been with them on and off for the last 20 years.”

As the head rider, Jackson performs many of the solo numbers, including much of the Airs Above the Ground program.

With that connection, the three semi trucks have hauled the horses and production to Alaska two other times since Jackson started. This is, however, the first show in Wasilla.

“I saw some stuff on Sarah Palin when she was running for vice-president. I saw she got $10 million to build the new event center,” Lashinsky said. “I said we got to play there.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

If you go

The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions are coming to the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Complex on Wednesday. The show time is 7:30, and tickets are available at Carrs/Safeways and Tickets.com.