Tempel Lipizzan performance season pays tribute to veterans
Among this summer's 70th anniversary commemorations of the conclusion of World War II, perhaps none will tell a more intriguing story than that of the Tempel Lipizzan stallions.
During public performances, scheduled for select Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, June 14 through Sept. 12, at Tempel Farms in Old Mill Creek, the "dancing white stallions" will demonstrate the unique attributes of a breed so treasured that Gen. George S. Patton staged a dramatic military rescue to save it.
Revered in Europe for centuries for their unusual combination of beauty, strength and intelligence, Lipizzans are best known for Pegasus-like leaps and lifts called "Airs Above the Ground." During a 90-minute program set to classical music, the Tempel Lipizzan performances follow the horses' training progression, from newest foals frolicking around the arena to the highly refined Quadrille, or "Ballet of the White Stallions," in which four highly trained adult horses perform difficult, dance-like movements in unison.
As a special tribute to the American military's role in the Lipizzans' World War II rescue, one veteran will be selected during each performance for a ceremonial entrance in a Lipizzan-drawn carriage. Reduced-price tickets will be available to all active military and veterans throughout the summer performance season.
Sunday and Wednesday matinees are scheduled for 1 p.m. June 14 and 24; July 1, 5, 8, 12, 22 and 26; Aug. 2, 5, 9, 19, 26 and 30; and Sept. 2 and 6. Saturday evening performances will begin at 6 p.m. June 27, July 18, Aug. 15 and Sept. 12.
Tickets purchased in advance are $25 for adults, $15 for children younger than 15, and $20 for active military and veterans. Tickets purchased at the gate are $30 for adults and $20 for children and active military/veterans.
After each performance, guests are invited to enjoy a self-guided tour through the stallion stable and ask questions of Tempel Lipizzan riders, trainers and working students. Tempel Farms' outdoor cafe opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. on performance Sundays and Wednesdays, and 4:30 p.m. on performance Saturdays for dinner and drinks.
In case of inclement weather, performances are held indoors. Parking is free. To purchase tickets online or for more information, visit www.tempelfarms.com or call (847) 623-7272.
It was in the closing days of World War II that Patton learned of Lipizzan horses from Europe's breeding farms being held as prisoners of war by German troops in Hostau, Czechoslovakia.
A venerable cavalry officer and Olympic equestrian, Patton ordered a daring, twofold military mission to liberate the town and its horses, and then to move the Lipizzans out of the path of the rapidly advancing Soviet Red Army, which would have destroyed them. This action, dubbed "Operation Cowboy," is credited with protecting the rare breed from probable extinction.
Months later, as the war in Europe and the Pacific ended, Patton rode a Lipizzan during the restoration ceremonies. That particular Lipizzan carried more than Patton, it carried strong symbolism: The horse had been selected by Adolf Hitler to be presented to Emperor Hirohito of Japan if the Axis powers had prevailed.
Patton's unprecedented action found a worldwide audience with the 1963 Disney movie "Miracle of the White Stallions," which recounts the World War II rescue. Even earlier, it captured the attention of Chicago industrialist Tempel Smith and his wife, Esther, who in 1958 began a year of highly sensitive negotiations with the Austrian government to import 20 Lipizzans to America.
Tempel Farms soon became home to the largest privately owned herd of Lipizzans anywhere. Over the past 57 years, there have been more than 900 foals born at Tempel Farms, which remains one of only a few places in the world where rare Lipizzan horses are bred, trained and perform on the same property.