Horses
Horse people already know that Slovenia is home to One of the Wonders of the Horse World.. the Lipizzaner .. American guests are often shocked to find out this beautiful horse was created specifically for the Austrian emperor 192 years before they even got independence!
The Lipizzaner breed is now over 400 years old and being so close to Lipica, the home of the Lipizzaner horse, was one of the many, many reasons we decided to build Lipizzaner Lodge here in this perfect location..
Our Own Stables & Riding School..
We completed our new stables building here to make our own dream come true and have our own Lipizzaner horses! We also have a riding school to be used by the local community and our own guests.
In our stable we have 4 lipizzaner horses and at the moment we can offer horse riding with two of them.
We care about our horses wellbeing. A good quality of life is provided by adequate and regular care, quality food, a varied training regime, large paddocks, and the company of other horses with fitting personalities. This will bring about a calm, curious, and willing horse.
The coexistence of horses and people provide a unique experience whereby the daily rhythms of animals and humans are intertwined, bringing harmony and satisfaction into the lives of both.
Integrated horse riding..
All our lipizzaners are trained with classical principles by our holistic riding instructor Irena Gubina who uses a unique bitless training approach. She can teach all levels of riders both children and adults alike.
Irena teaches integrated horse riding to get a deeper understanding and mastering of the rider’s movement, self-awareness and to ride with the qualities that a horse reacts to and cooperates with. Both horse and rider move as one harmonious whole.
The aim is to synchronize riding aids and the movement of both bodies to attain relaxation and comfort.
You can see more about Irena's approach here: Irena Gubina website..
Hack to Predjama Castle..
Very experienced and dedicated riders can also go with Irena for a hack into the beautiful neighbouring countryside on several different routes and one in particular can take you along a secret path to Predjama castle.. the most unique castle in the world! Imagine the holiday photo sat on a Lipizzaner outside Predjama castle.. now that is something very special!
Trail riding..
If you are a trail ride enthusiast we also highly recommend our very good friend Borut Delost at Horses on Breg.. but make sure you book early!
The Lodge is perfectly placed for visiting Lipica!
If you didn't know, Lipizzaners are used exclusively by the "Spanish Riding School" in Vienna to tour the world and show off the exquisite skills of these horses and riders..
We are located just 20 minutes from the original Lipizzaner stud at Lipica, a mecca for horse lovers, where you can see hundreds of these beautiful animals and take a tour through the stables and stud. There is also a classical dressage performance three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays where you can see the horses piaffing and passaging in complete harmony with the rider.
For Kids at Lipica
The programme for visitors riding at Lipica often changes, so better to contact them directly, but there is stuff there like a kids and family programme, where you go with an experienced stablehand and get close and personal to the Lipizzaners.
It is not only Lipizzaners here in Slovenia.. as you would expect in such a Green Land, there are horses everywhere!
Our larger than life friend, Janez could show you some amazing secret places on horseback or carriage. These hacks can be quite fast and would suit experienced riders, but he can also take less experienced riders for a slower hack.
Secret Place to see Young Lipizzaner Stallions..
And if you are Lipizzaner bonkers.. there is a farm hidden away just a few KM from the main road that thousands of holiday makers use every day to go down to Croatia, yet do not know they are missing seeing young generations of Lipizzaner horses at play.
Dozens of young stallions go here in their early years to grow up together and have a great time away from all the action at the main Lipica stud.
Just another one of Green Slovenia's fantastic secret places!