The entire show was presented and moderated by Gaby Herrmann and her daughters and relatives.
A Bit of History:
"Founded in the 16th century for the exclusive use of the Hapsburg Royal family of Austria, the Royal Lipizzans are unquestionably the rarest, most aristocratic breed of horses in the world. The pride of the Hapsburg Empire, the Lipizzan breed was first established by Archduke Charles at Lipizza (now part of Yugoslavia).
Only a few hundred have ever existed at any one time. Indeed, it is a contemporary miracle of sorts that this precious bloodline is not extinct, having barely been saved from the advancing Russian forces during World War II.
The Lipizzans' celebrated escape was recounted in the Walt Disney movie, "Miracle of the White Stallions". Assisting Patton in the clandestine mission to rescue the regal Lipizzans, Colonel Herrmann and his father, Colonel Ottomar Herrmann, Sr., smuggled the horses out from far behind enemy lines, riding at night and hiding by day. "We moved out into the night with nothing," recalled Herrmann, "only a handful of horses."
The Lipizzans they saved under the protection granted by Patton, were "more precious than jewels," he declared. Colonel Herrmann, joined by two subsequent generations of Herrmanns, created an American renaissance of classical equitation's. His family maintains a 200 acre ranch in Florida to ensure the propagation of this extraordinary breed."
We had a great time with beautiful weather. Again a very successful Nature Club outing.
