Random idle thoughts on the subject of Lipizzans:
     The numbering system of mares is great, but the mechanics thereof escape 
me.  The offspring of e.g. a Pluto stallion (say, Pluto Allegra XV) out of 
e.g. Capriola III, if a colt, would be Pluto Capriola III.  What, if it's a 
filly?  It can't (I think) just simply be Capriola IV - else they'd be in 
much higher numbers by now.  Does the filly become Capriola IV only after 
passing all the training type tests, and after herself producing worthy 
offspring?  (If so, what do they call her in the meantime?
 And what do they call her offspring in the meantime?)  There's lots of room 
for confusion if horses run under one name until proven, and then under 
another later.
     Also, please note the 'at Lipica, mares of this line are called..'  The 
implication - and I think accurate - is that each country (or even breeding 
location?) uses their own names.  I went and listened to that video tape I've 
got (Spanish Riding School special performance at the Stadthalle in Vienna, 
in 1985). Listened to it several times, but what with background noise, and I 
think, commentator having to look down - and tilting away from microphone - 
for reading the names, the names did not come across clearly.  Best as I can 
tell, the following Austrian stallions were performing:
     Conversano Roviga
     Maestoso Saffa
     Favory Allea (may have been 'Allegra')
     Neapolitano Storia
     Neapolitano Pretsova
     Favory Palerma
     Neapolitano Stella
     Pluto Capriola
     Favory Dubovina
     Favory Mantua
     Siglavy Flora (who was one that remained dark)
     At the beginning of the performance, they showed off eight mares with 
their foals.  (This, BTW, 2 years after the herpes outbreak at Piber, where 
they ended up losing quite a few mares.) Mares shown were as follows (or, 
that's what the names sounded like to me):
     Allea (Allegra?), 21 years
     Galathea, 12 years
     Mantua, 16 years
     Novarta, 13 years
     Harmonia, 7 years
     Saffa, 6 years
     Modda I (from Hungary, in restocking after herpes outbreak)
     Plutora (from Czechoslovakia, in restocking after herpes)
     Back to the informnation from Dolenc's book, though:
     Between 1948 and 1955, Lipica had 13 breeding stallions which were mated 
to 350 mares with a fertility rate of 75 percent.  By 1957, Lipica had 26 
pureblood stallions and mares ready for dressage and driving training. 
(Which, if I read this right, ought to precede much breeding of those yet 
unproven horses). Some time after that point (he doesn't specify), political 
reshuffling caused loss of interest in Lipica, and thus financial 
difficulties, and they had to sell all but one of the trained stallions. (No 
mention of mares).  In 1969 the herd consisted of only 59 horses.  [So, 
obviously, they MUST have also sold some mares.]  By mid-1973, they were back 
up to 173 pure blooded Lipizzaners.
                                         Karin
 * OLX 2.1 TD * Telepathy is minding someone else's business
--- InterEcho 1.15
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