Austria: Piber Federal Stud

Last Thursday I got two postcards from Austria.

The first card shows the Piber Federal Stud, where the Lipizzan horses for the Spanish Riding School are bred. The history of the Spanish Riding School dates back to the 16th century. In 1580 a stud was founded in Lipica in modern-day Slovenia, where the Lipizzan horses have their origin. World War I was a difficult time for the breed, as the horses were evacuated from Lipica and came to different studs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war the empire was no more and the horses were now in different countries. Austria kept the stallions of the Spanish Riding School and some breeding stock, which was consolidated at Piber by 1920. Today circa 40 Lipizzan foals are born in Piber, but only the best stallions are later sent to Vienna to be trained for the Spanish Riding School. 

A wonderful matching stamp was used on the card. It was issued on 4th July 2020 and celebrates the centenary of the Piber Federal Stud.

Also the second card deals with the Piber Federal Stud. This one shows a close-up of a Lipizzan horse.

The same stamp with the same special postmark was used on this card.

Thank You very much Anita!