Piaffe in the pillars
Aside from the rare solid-colored horse (usually bay or black ), most Lipizzans are grey . Like all gray horses, they have black skin, dark eyes, and as adult horses, a white hair coat. Gray horses, including Lipizzans, are born dark, usually bay or black, and become lighter each year as the graying process takes place, with the process being complete at between 6 and 10 years of age. Contrary to popular belief, Lipizzans are not actually true "white" horses. A white horse is born white, has pink skin and usually has blue eyes.
Until the 18th century, Lipizzans had other coat colors, including dun(read champagne), bay, chestnut , black, piebald and skewbald. However, gray is a dominant gene, Gray was the color preferred by the royal family, and so the color was emphasized in breeding practices. Thus, in a small breed population when the color was deliberately selected as a desirable feature, it came to be the color of the overwhelming majority of Lipizzan horses. However, it is a long-standing tradition for the Spanish Riding School to have one bay or black Lipizzan in residence, and this tradition is continued through the present day, and is decended from the Conversano sire line.
Levade
Albert Ostemaier above as a "young horseman" on the left and performing a corbette with his Black Lipizzan as a "mature horseman" on the right.Photo courtesy of Madame Col.(she is not GSH anymore, the downloads of "reconciliation" did the trick)
An immature Lipizzan Stallion above, starting the greying out process and the completed mature real deal below. Billy, unless over 400 years is spent isolating the grey gene, or a Champagne lion is born with blue eyes and pink skin, they will never be anything more then almost or close to white.
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6 comments:
I would hope all would notice that even as a child Albert's pony reared in form and in the bridle. No throwing the head or gaping mouth's for the Ostermaier's.
Dianne,
I have told the story about "jerking and ripping" my pony's mouth to get him to rear like Trigger when I was a loving, but ignorant 6 years old. My loving father was a school teacher, and insisted on proper care for the animals, but I'll wager not as helpful in the actual training, as Albert's father was. LOL
Wade
Some white lions do have blue eyes.
p. white
Pat,
As do some cremello/creme/champagne horses, as well as some albino/white horses and some paint/pintos. It is not the sole requirement, just one of a combination to distinguish white.
How old are those lions? 12 or older?
Wade
Three and a half to seven years old. Why? Twelve is not a significant number for lions. Others have eyes with a greenish cast, others with the more common amber.
p.white
Pat,
I only used 12 as a most assuredly mature age, so you wouldn't use 3 to 7 year old eyes as mature validation. No significance to 12 at all. If you studied those eyes with the proper equipment, I'll bet you would find they are not actually green, but rather more of a dun olive.
Wade
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