The Lipizzaner, a horse from the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austria), is a compact, powerful horse of up to around 16 hands, mares somewhat smaller, which is particularly bred for dressage and harness, but which are also excellent allrounders, being competent jumpers and having great stamina. Lipizzaners are well known for their floating, eye-catching action. The breed was founded in 1580 by the Austrian Arch Duke Charles, due to a shortage of pure Spanish horses in central Europe. So much in demand was this type of horse, that it was decided that a replacement Baroque horse was urgently needed. Stallions and mares were imported from many parts of Europe and the resulting cross is similar to the Lipizzaner horse of today, although further out cross to the Arab in the last 200 years has given the breed more lightness and refinement.

A horse of medium height, predominantly grey in colour, with brown or bay occasionally occurring. Chestnuts and roans do appear in a few countries with one Eastern European stud specialising in breeding chestnuts, but this colour is not desired by most enthusiasts. The "international jury" is currently out as to whether, in future chestnuts and roans will be accepted. In Eastern Europe at this time two more male lines were introduced at the military based studs - the stallions Tulipan and Incitato, making eight lines altogether. these two lines are now equally recognised world wide by the international register - the Lipizzan International Federation - as pure-bred Lipizzaners.

The horses appearing in George Hamilton's famous painting depicting mares grazing at the Lipica stud show the original lines in all colours including duns, roans and piebald. The later demand for the Baroque white parade horse, created a selective genetic predominance of this colour. The Spanische Hofreitschule (as the Spanish Riding School of Vienna is now called), traditionally always retains a bay or brown coloured horse for performances. So far the old superstition, which says that one dark horse coloured horse should be kept to ward off disaster, seems to have proved true, as these horses have survived many wars, bombings, earthquakes and as recently as 1992, a fire at the Hofburg Palace where the horses are kept.

Overall the horse must show lightness, cadence, beautiful soft rounded collection and outstanding elasticity of all movements. International standards of excellence dictate that a mare is 15 to 15.3 hands (150 to 157cm) in height and a stallion is 15.2 to 16 hands (155 to 160cm). To summarise the description, think of a Roman statue of an Emperor on his horse and this will probably give the best visual impression of what a Lipizzaner should look like.