Clasica Lipizzana Makes U.S. Performance Debut To Celebrate The Tempel Lipizzans' 60th Anniversary

The Tempel Lipizzans, the world's largest privately-owned herd of Lipizzan horses, welcomes horses and riders from Chile-based Escuela Clásica Lipizzana, Latin America's first and only Lipizzan herd, to participate in Tempel Lipizzans' 60th anniversary celebration. Throughout the month of July 2018, the "Lipizzans of the Americas" will together present equestrian dressage performances as part of the Tempel Lipizzans regular summer performance season. Escuela Clásica Lipizzana will also appear with the Tempel Lipizzans at their 60th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Saturday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. Tempel Lipizzans perform at pastoral Tempel Farms, located just north of Chicago in Old Mill Creek, IL.

In a live, 90-minute program of synchronized movements, both the Tempel Lipizzans and Escuela Clásica Lipizzana will show off their athleticism and harmony between horse and rider in a performance featuring a unique 8-horse quadrille in which highly trained stallions from both herds execute difficult, dance-like movements in unison. Chile's National Champion rider and horse pair, Oscar Coddou Molina and Favory Duba - who have successfully competed at the international level including the Pan American Games, will also present a Grand Prix solo demonstration.

Both Tempel Lipizzans and Escuela Clásica Lipizzana follow the 400-year classical dressage tradition established by the world renowned Spanish Riding School in Austria with the foundation of their herds coming directly from the Spanish Riding School. Traveling with the Chilean Lipizzans includes 6 horses, 4 riders, and director Coddou Molina, a national dressage champion.

"We are excited to host Escuela Clásica Lipizzana and honored to share with them the knowledge we've gained over the last 60 years as they establish and grow their own Lipizzan herd and continue the traditions of classical dressage," said Tempel Lipizzans Program Director Esther Buonanno.

"We are proud to participate in the 60th Anniversary celebration honoring the Tempel Lipizzans," said Escuela Clásica Lipizzana Founder Nicolas Ibañez Scott. "Uniting the Lipizzans of the Americas is a great tribute to Tempel Smith and his vision."

Tempel Farms' outdoor café opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. on days with matinee performances and at 4:30 p.m. on days with evening performances for dinner and drinks. VIP seating featuring complimentary wine and refreshments is also available. Tempel Farms is in northern Lake County, Ill., a 50-minute drive from Chicago or Milwaukee, near Great America. In case of inclement weather, performances are held indoors. Parking is free. Advance tickets start at $27 with discounts for children under 15, active military personal and veterans. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.tempelfarms.com or call (847) 244-5330.

A 60th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Saturday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. will honor the foresight of founder Tempel Smith and the ongoing mission to increase awareness of the art of classical riding and the Lipizzan breed in the U.S. Tickets are $150 per person and include a special performance by the Tempel Lipizzans followed by food, refreshments, and live music performed by the String Quartet of the Northbrook Symphony. The event will also include a special viewing of never-before-seen footage of Tempel Lipizzans' original herd as they traveled from Austria to their new home in the U.S. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.tempelfarms.com/gala.

In 1958, Chicago industrialist Tempel Smith and his wife, Esther, began a year of negotiations with the Austrian government to import 20 Lipizzans to America. Tempel Farms soon became home to the largest privately-owned herd of Lipizzans in the world. Over the past 59 years, there have been more than 900 foals born at Tempel Farms, which remains one of only a few places in the world where rare Lipizzan horses are bred, trained and perform on the same property. In 1997, the owners were awarded the Officers Cross from the Austrian Government for their careful preservation of Austrian culture in the United States.

Tempel Lipizzans have been featured in six presidential inaugurals and the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration in Washington, D.C., ridden by President Ronald Reagan and Morocco's King Hassan II, and called to a command performance for the Carter family on the White House lawn. It was also Tempel Lipizzans that, in 1985, pulled the casket of The Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War at Arlington National Cemetery.

For more information on Tempel Farms and its Tempel Lipizzans, please visit www.tempelfarms.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.