Development of the Lipizzan Horse Breed P Dovc 1 , T Kavar 2 , H So¨lkner 3 and R Achmann 4 1 Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 2 Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia; 3 University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria; 4 Ludwig Boltzmann-Institute, Vienna, Austria Contents The development and a brief history of the Lipizzan horse breed are reviewed. The contribution of several breeds, some of them already extinct, to the development of the Lipizzan horse, gives it a special status representing an important gene pool. This well-documented breed is a part of the common European natural and cultural heritage. Breeding practices establishing stallion and mare family lines as well as availab- ility of pedigrees are described. Molecular analysis of mitoch- ondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite data allowed us to analyse the structure of the Lipizzan population, to estimate genetic variability within the population and to test the reliability of the pedigree data. DNA sequence analysis of the mtDNA control region confirmed relative high variability of the gene pool, containing majority of mtDNA haplotypes found in horse populations worldwide. Microsatellite analysis showed that the level of heterozygosity in the Lipizzan population is comparable with the heterozygosity in other populations. The fact that majority of the Lipizzan population is bred on eight state studs in the Central and Eastern Europe contributes to the structuring of the population which results in three clusters: classical cluster, represented by studs Lipica, Piber and Monterotondo, transition cluster, represented by studs Szilvasvarad, Djakovo and Topolc´ianky and eastern cluster represented by studs Beclean and Fagaras. The molecular markers also allowed verification of pedigree data, and the rough estimation of pedigree errors was about 10%. Historical During the Moorish occupation of Spain, the finest Arab blood was brought to Europe, contributing considerably to the gene pool of Spanish horses. The interest in the art of classical riding was revived in Europe during the Renaissance and at that time the Spanish horse was recognized as the most suitable mount because of its beauty, intelligence and sturdiness. The role of the Spanish horses during the Baroque period has been well documented in paintings from Velasquez, Van Dyke and El Grecco showing members of different royal families sitting on majestic horses. At that time, the Habsburg family controlled Austria, and also Spain since 1516. The Kaiser Maximillian II (1527– 1576) brought, following the fashion, Spanish horses to Austria for the first time in 1552 and founded the court stud at Kladrub in 1562, which became specialized in breeding heavy carriage horses. His brother, Archduke Charles II (1540–1590) established a similar stud at Lipica in 1580 (Hortley Edwards 1994). The basic Lipizzan population was formed from nine stallions and 24 mares, imported from Spain, and from a number of mares belonging to the local breed of white Karst horses. Later imports of Andalusians, Barbs, Neapoli- tans and Arab horses contributed significantly to the breeding of the Lipizzan horse (Clutton-Brock 1999). The goal in the Lipica stud was development of riding and light carriage horses for the Habsburg court. Both studs, Lipica and Kladrub, were closely linked and exchanged their breeding stock occasionally. During the development of the Lipizzan horse breed, the breeding stock was imported from other studs also, and among them the most important were Lippe-Bu¨ckenburg in Northern Germany, Fredriksborg in Denmark, and the stud in Kopcˇany which also belonged to the Habs- burg family (Nu¨renberg 1998). Because of the non- availability of Spanish horses, the Arabs were predominantly used for breeding during the 18th cen- tury. Because of the threat of frequent wars, the Lipizzan herd was often on the move: for the first time to Hungarian Szekesfehervar in 1796 (prior to the war with Napoleon), then to Djakovo in Croatia in 1805 and once again to Hungary in 1809. Between the two world wars, the Lipizzans were brought to Laxenburg and Kladruby. After the First World War, approximately one half of the adult animals were returned to Lipica, which belonged to Italy at that time, whereas the other was brought to Piber in Austria. Czechoslovakia estab- lished its own stud for Lipizzan horses in 1921 in Topolc´ianky from the foals, which were kept in Klad- ruby during the war. The last journey of the Lipizzans from Lipica was during the Second World War as they were brought by German army to Hostinec. After the war, American military forces returned a part of the Lipizzan herd (109 animals and the archives) to Italy, where they were put in the military stud at Monterot- ondo. The rest was brought to Piber and to the Spanish riding school in Vienna. After the Second World War, the first Lipizzans were also exported to USA. Eleven horses were returned to the original stud of Lipica and the stud started collecting Lipizzans from the territory of former Yugoslavia. From the former royal stud at Demir Kapija, 13 horses were brought to Lipica in 1947 (Dolenc 1980). Subpopulations of Lipizzan horses were also estab- lished in Hungary, Croatia and Romania, mainly from the animals which originated from Lipica as well as Lipizzans from private studs. The origin of the Hun- garian Lipizzan breed dates back to 1785 when the military stud in Mezoehegyes was established by Josef II. Because of the rich diet, the animals grew better and larger, features typical of the Hungarian breed. In 1874, the herd was moved to Karpathian Fagaras and in 1912 to Babolna. Finally, all Hungarian Lipizzans (including those in the private studs), were moved to Szilvasvarad in 1951 (Dolenc 1980). However, some animals remained in Fagaras and the Romanian Lipizzan subpopulation was developed in 1920 from animals Reprod Dom Anim 41, 280–285 (2006); doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2006.00726.x ISSN 0936-6768 Ó 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation Ó 2006 Blackwell Verlag