ICYMI: SA Lipizzaners bid farewell, head to Cape Town for financial reasons

The famous SA Lipizzaners are bidding farewell to Kyalami as they prepare to move to their new venue in Cape Town.

The non-profit company has been in Kyalami since 1960, when former Polish cavalry officer Major George Iwanowski came to South Africa and ended up training Lipizzaners which were rescued from war-torn Europe and brought to the country by Count Jankovich-Besan some years before.

The current Lipizzaners are descendants of those horses.

The group has achieved much success over the years, touring the country before establishing regular Sunday performances in Kyalami from 1971.

SA Lipizzaners volunteer, Gina Boxley said the group would move to Mistico Equestrian Centre by 25 January, possibly before that if the lockdown regulations changed to affect inter-provincial travel.

“The Lipizzaners are special and a part of the area’s heritage,” Boxley said.

“But unfortunately we never got major sponsorships and the move is purely a financial decision.”

She added that due to the lockdown the group could not perform for most of 2020, and the shows they did run were at half capacity. This, along with a lack of corporate sponsorship had made it hard to support the group’s 35 stallions and 28 mares.

The company had to let go of some of its grooms and riders.

However, community members still showed incredible financial support, and the company was grateful for this.

It is hoped the move to the Mother City would attract tourists once travel restrictions were eased.

“What I will miss most will be visiting the horses in the afternoons when it was just them and me, and hearing them whinny in excitement as I brought them carrots,” added Boxley, who will not be going along to Cape Town.

“We had all six bloodlines of horses and Kyalami was a great place for us. I think there are 240 000 horses in the area and we received much support from the community.”