This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective.

Welcome to an adventure.

Welcome to episode 167 of Real Cool History for Kids. This episode is for Eloise Groton, who wanted to hear a story about the beautiful Lipizaner stallions. Hey, Eloise, this one's for you. Oh, you guys, I'm so excited to tell you this story. I have always loved horses.

I learned to ride when I was a very small child, and my connection with horses has always been, well, just really, really strong.

I just love them.

One of my favorite books as a child was White Stallion of Lipisa by Marguerite Henry, the same one that did Misty of Chinquetteique.

So when I saw Eloise's request for this story, well, it just made me super happy.

One of my favorite stories about the Lip-a-honored horses actually took place towards the end of World War II.

And you guys know me.

You know I like to tell stories about World War II.

So here's one that includes both World War II and horses. So get ready for an absolutely amazing story.

Okay. But before we jump into that story, we need to understand where these horses came from and why they mattered so much. Many, many years before World War II, the powerful rulers in

Europe loved horses. They especially wanted horses that were strong and brave and beautiful,

enough to carry knights and kings, but also graceful enough to perform in fancy riding schools.

In the 1500s, the ruling Habsburg family in Austria began breeding a special kind of horse.

They brought horses from Spain, strong, elegant, Andalusians, as well as horses from Italy and Arabia, and then they bred them into

their royal studs. One of these studs was at a place called La Pisa in what is now Slovenia.

In 1580, Archduke Charles II brought in a group of stallions and mares and started a breeding farm there.

Over time, the horses from this place became known as Lipizanors.

At first, Lipizanar horses came in many colors. everything from bay and black and chestnut, and even done, which is a light color.

But the Habsburg rulers loved the look of the gray horses, who turned into a stunning white when they were grown.

So breeders began to choose these gray horses on purpose.

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