The Soul of the Lipizzaner - Part I
I have to start at the end, with the grand old Spanish Riding School stallion, Neapolitano Nima I. The horse world took notice in April of this year, when he turned an astonishing 40 years old, becoming the oldest LIF registered Lipizzaner stallion. Nima was known as the 'levadeur' of a century, a superbly talented, highly intelligent, absolutely brilliant, strong-willed, quirky stallion with a mind of his own. Initially, he was trained by the late Rider Andreas Harrer and subsequently ridden by now Chief Rider Rudolf Rostek.
Yesterday, the horse world took notice again, as Neapolitano Nima I passed away, at age 40, at this home stud in Piber, Austria.
In honor of Nima's 40th birthday, the SRS published a loving tribute to the stallion in form of a book, written by Styrian native, Lipizzaner owner, and SRS supporter, Rudolf Kuzmicki. The book "Neapolitano Nima I - The White Diamond" is a wonderful collection of stories about this genius but mischievous horse as well as his trainers and riders. It is interspersed with interesting insights into the principles of the almost 500 year-old training philosophy at the SRS, and noteworthy details about the way they raise their young horses at the Lipizzaner Stud Piber (more about this later). When Rudolf asked me if I would be willing to do the English translation of the book, I (obviously!!!) jumped at the chance.
Since I was spending some time training and teaching in Germany this summer anyway, I could not pass up the chance to meet this exceptional creature myself. Nima had grown dear to me during the process of translating not only because of his antics but also the accounts of sheer brilliance. So last week, Rudolf Kuzmicki and I met up in Graz and took a drive through the picturesque Styrian landscape to the Lipizzaner Stud in Piber, where the stallion had been retired for the past 14 years.
We brought bananas, Nima's treat of choice. He visibly enjoyed them, broken up into small pieces. His body showed his age, but the untamable will that all his trainers and handlers describe in the book was still very much alive in his eyes: they were bright and alert, noticing and judging everything. It was also hard to miss the admiration Rudi had for this horse. I left with a sense of gratefulness to have met Nima in person.
And then, a mere three days later, back home in Germany and still processing the incredible experiences of those few days in Austria, I received the distraught call from Rudolf that Nima had died. I have a feeling that this stallion had decided himself that it was his time, just as he had always made his own decisions. Yet the news stung; and a silent sadness now blanketed my memories of our brief encounter.
One of my first thoughts and sincere hope was that he would be received in heaven by his old friend and trainer, the late Andreas Harrer. Harrer was known as a gifted trainer who advocated for always looking to understand the horse. He is a protagonist in the book that I felt most drawn to and I wish that I could have met him, too. Nima was lucky to have had the profoundly competent and compassionate training and care he did in Piber and at the SRS. Those highly sensitive, intelligent, and thereby challenging horses often don't fare well in the wrong hands.
In the morning of the day we visited Nima, Rudi and I had driven up the steep mountain road from Piber to the Stubalm, the vast mountain pasture where the 1-3 year old stallions spend their summers. I had seen pictures of it before but as we met Gerhard Papst and Christina Waldl for a short hike to the peak above the barn, walking straight into a huge herd of young stallions, I couldn't quite believe it. At 11 degrees Celsius and a light drizzle, the young grey stallions formed a slow moving silhouette against the low hanging grey clouds.
As we reached the top of the hill, you could see miles and miles across the green mountains of Styria. The hills below and to the sides were dotted with grey horses. I can't stress the beauty of this scene enough. Soon, a curious colt stopped by to sniff us. He, as were all the other ones, was perfectly polite. Not a single nip directed at us, not a single butt turned, not a single accidental push. The herd was calm and coherent, and the lead stallion, a gorgeous 3 year-old, took his job very seriously. He stood slightly elevated, his watchful eyes gliding across the alm, occasionally intervening in interactions between other colts.
Gerhard and Christina of the Piber stud knew every colt by name, knew their lineage, their temperament, their likes and dislikes. It was when I heard the unpretentious confidence in their voices and saw the tenderness in their eyes when they looked upon their charges that I truly started to get goose bumps. The foals born in Piber are handled from birth by people who truly are still horse people, highly knowledgeable, skilled, and dedicated not because they have to, but because it's who they are. And the foals get to be horses too, growing up with their peers, galloping across varied terrain at high elevation. Yes, the Lipizzaner is a people-oriented, friendly breed, but they don't end up being well-adjusted, polite young men just so.
Down at the stud farm, Rudi had also organized another treat for me: a carriage ride with driving master (long time director of the driving division at Piber and successful competitor) Hubert Scherz and his stallion Siglavi Groszsna. Hubert Scherz was also a friend of Andreas Harrer. I "knew" him from translating the book and was glad to be able to spend some time with him. I hadn't sat behind a horse since I was a little girl and the scenery couldn't have been prettier. By then the sun was out and the stallion trotted along at a steady pace. When Groszsna got a little excited at the sight of some more young stallions in a pasture (those slated for sale), it was Hubert's calm confidence urging him on that made me stay calm, too. If there was something like a prototypical Styrian, I'm sure he would come pretty close.
Rudi had told me that the day in Piber would show me the true soul of the Lipizzaner, and I'm starting to get that he was right. The Lipizzaner is inextricably connected to his people and his mountains, and it is very conceivable that these circumstances produce a horse like Nima, one that exceeds all expectations.
Rest in peace, Nima. Your people will never forget you.
*Photo: Rudolf Kuzmicki and I with Neapolitano Nima I on 8/16/2019
(PART II - about my visit to the SRS in Vienna to follow)
