Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions resume public performances at Myakka City arena
In the best show-must-go-on tradition, performances of Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions have returned for their 60th year in Myakka City.
But it hasn’t been easy, especially in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which stopped the white stallions and their riders in military-style Austrian costumes from going on the road.
The show was already struggling, when in March, Gabriella Herrmann, who led Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzaner Stallions since 2004, died at age 66.
“I know, after speaking to guests at our farm, that the public was very concerned about whether we would continue. We are very happy to announce that 2022 marks the 60th year the Herrmann family has been in Myakka City and we are now into our sixth generation of riders,” Herrmann’s daughter, Rebecca McCullough, 41, said this week.
“I would like to let the public know we have no intention of leaving and we will still be open for performances,” McCullough said.
There are no plans to take the show back on the road, at least not now, not with the uncertainty posed by the pandemic.
The story of the Lipizzan horses is well-known. A 1963 Disney movie, “Miracle of the White Stallions,” dramatized how Gen. George Patton ordered the rescue of some of the horses from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during World War II.
Originally bred as war horses, today’s shows at the Herrmann arena, 32755 Singletary Road, feature some of the rearing, leaps and kicks that in earlier centuries were practiced on battlefields.
Newest additions to Herrmann’s stable of 14 performing horses include a stallion, “Jagger,” born in 2016, and a filly named “Raven,” born in 2018.
“Raven will be making her debut this year. Another mare, Baroness, opens the show,” McCullough said.
Guests also have the opportunity to get close to the horses, and to visit them in their barns.
“The horses are enjoying the interaction,” McCullough said.
Shortly before her death, Gabby Herrmann admitted that keeping the show together was a challenge with its traditional revenue from touring gone.
“To tell you that it has been difficult would be an understatement,” Herrmann said of the pandemic. “It’s a day-to-day situation.”
McCullough said this week that Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzans has introduced sponsorships this year to help care for horses who have been retired from performances.
Sponsors are invited to the farm to visit their horse, to groom them, and take them for a walk.
Herrmann’s is also offering riding lessons for riders of all ages.
Shows are scheduled at 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. Saturdays through April 30. Admission is $10 per person, payable at the gate by credit card, cash or check. Children 10 and younger are admitted free. Reservations are not required except for groups of 20 or more.
For more information, visit https://www.herrmannsroyallipizzans.com/ or Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions Facebook page.
