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Lippinzanners - Part 3

As promised I bring you one more Lipizzaner post.  Beautiful horses and although General Patton couldn't fathom why anyone would want to train a horse to "wiggle its butt", he did concede that equestrian pursuits are likely more important than many other artistic endeavors.  The man did, after all, perform in the 1912 Olympics as an equestrian.  





I tried to look into the soul of this beast via the eye, but all I saw was an eye staring back.  I don't have the gift, I guess.  Perhaps he was trying to find my soul the same way.  We were both disappointed.





Patton did direct his army to capture prisoners and Lipizzaner horses that were across the Czechoslovakian border, in defiance of orders from headquarters..    





Have I ever told you about the horse that walked into a bar?  





Bella, here, is getting to ready for his performance today for a wet and hopeful crowd.  Wet because it was raining all the way out to this farm in the Florida hinterlands.  Hopeful, because, enough rain helps the horses grab into the dirt, but too much will cancel the show.  We lucked out.   




The lady handling this portion of the show is old man Herrmann's daughter.  Mr. Herrmann was the one who brought his Spanish Riding school stallions to the US from Austria. He only had daughter's so all of the training and riding is done by females; that is what the horses are used to.  





This wraps up our trip to Myakka City to see the Herrmann Farm's Lipizzaner's horses.  Some trips are worth it, just because.  This was one of them.


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