Stallions, riders blend 2 hearts into 1 mind

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Lipizzaner Stallions and their riders showcase harmony between horse and human in performances through Sept. 12 at Blaisdell Arena. The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions 7:30 p.m. today, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 and 6 p.m. Sunday; continuing at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sept. 11, and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 11-12 Blaisdell Arena $35 Golden Circle; $24.50 and $19.50; at the box office and Ticketmaster locations (877) 750-4400, ticketmaster.com

Gary Lashinsky, celebrating 34 years as a producer of the touring theatrical show, first saw the horses from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and was hooked from the get-go.

"Our stallions are imported from Austria, and we present a show similar to the Spanish Riding School," Lashinsky said in a phone interview. He has a stable of 48 horses and generally tours with 13 or 14.

"To me, the stallions are priceless when fully trained," said Lashinsky, who produced his first touring show in 1970. Since then, he's taken the act throughout North and South America, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Canada, parts of Europe, Australia and numerous American cities, including Honolulu, playing before an estimated 25 million people.

With 40 years of experience in producing various shows — from Ice Capades to Ice Follies, from Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus to the Harlem Globetrotters, from Elvis Presley to the Rolling Stones, from The Who to The Doors — Lashinsky now devotes 100 percent of his time to the stallions from his Oviedo, Fla., headquarters.

"We're more entertainment than dressage; I'm kind of a hands-on guy, so I produce, direct and choreograph the show," Lashinsky said. "I buy all the horses. I select the music and the costumes. And I write the narration. I've ridden in a show, too, for a benefit. But what I don't do is train."

He said it's an arduous task to train a Lipizzaner to reach show perfection.

"They're a slowly maturing breed; we don't start training till they're about 4 years old," said Lashinsky. "We don't put a saddle on them till they're about 3à, and it takes six to eight years to achieve the level of dressage. It's a very slow, painstaking process to train in the European style. I'd say it takes 12 to 13 years to get to the grand prix level."

It also takes five to six years to learn the ropes of riding properly, and a dozen to 15 years to acquire the fine points of a dressage trainer.

Lashinsky said there are about 3,000 Lipizzaner stallions in the world today, with about 700 registered in the United States, far more than the 460 in Austria.

Their appeal and their luster reached a global audience with the release in 1963 of Disney's "The Miracle of the White Stallions" film, depicting Gen. George S. Patton saving the horses from extinction at the end of World War II. Subsequently, numerous books, films and TV shows have tracked the history and beauty of the Lipizzaner breed; the film also was released on DVD last March.

The Lipizzaner code is one banking on harmony between horse and rider. The goal of dressage is to create a bond between rider and horse — two hearts with one mind — in what might be construed as the ultimate ballet, kind of an equestrian dance of grace and dignity.

"To me, these are valuable animals, with the studs coming from the Piber Stud Farm," said Lashinsky. "You can train them to compete, or train them to exhibit. We choose to train them to be magnificent show animals."

The breed of stallions is generally small, but the horses are aggressive, said Lashinsky.

Once the aggressiveness is contained, Lashinsky said the horses "give, give and keep giving."

Best of all, the stallions make no big demands.

"We feed them good hay and oats and different feed supplements," he said. "We keep them healthy."

Compared with rock stars or other performers with egos, which Lashinsky had to deal with earlier in his promotion life, the horses are otherwise a breeze, he said.

"We keep them healthy and happy. And they don't talk back," he said.

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, or fax 525-8055.

If you attend a performance of the Lipizzaner Stallions at Blaisdell Arena, there's a lingo you must understand to be in the know.

Examples:

Airs above the ground: refers to a maneuver in which the horse leaps above the ground, in feats such as the capriole, courbette and levade; with or without a rider.

Capriole: The horse finds its tempo, leaps into the air, drawing its forelegs under its chest and, at the height of elevation, kicks out with the hind legs.

Courbette: The horse balances on its hind legs and jumps, keeping the hind legs together and the forelegs off the ground.

Croupade: Similar to the capriole, but the horse tucks both its forelegs and hind legs under its body at the height of elevation.

Dressage: the guidance of a mount through maneuvers with the perceptible use of hands, reins or legs; from the French word for "schooling of the horse," but meaning harmony between horse and rider.

Haute e'coule: advanced art of High School riding, the highest level of dressage.

Levade: The horse must maintain a haunched position at a 45-degree angle to the ground, requiring muscle control and balance.

Lineage: There are six significant bloodlines in the Lipizzaner breed: the Dane, Pluto (1765); the Neapolitan, Conversano (1767); Maestoso (1773); Favory (1799); Neapolitano (1790); and the Arab, Siglavy (1810).

Movements: Also called maneuvers, these are the actions of the horse in presentation.

Piaffe: The horse stands in one spot while performing a cadence trot.

Pirouette: While balanced on its hind legs, the horse is required to pivot in a half circle or full circle before coming down on all four legs.

Quadrille: A military drill performed to music and featuring several horses and riders.

Spanish Riding School of Vienna: a centuries-old training center in Austria, considered the "Harvard" of the equestrian world. The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions are an authentic presentation in this style but are not affiliated with the Spanish Riding School.