Day 35 Lipica
A nice day on the trail today. No steep slopes, good track surface, plenty of shade and fine weather. The first hour got us up to the top of the karst plateau where there were nice views to Muggia and Trieste where we will be in a few days.
The karst plateau covers a large area of the Italy/Slovenia border regions. The soil and substrate here is derived almost entirely from limestone which is highly porous, consequently, there are lots of caves, sinkholes and underground water but virtually no surface water at all. Lots of loose rock has provided plenty of material for stone walls and fences over the centuries.
This afternoon we crossed back over from Italy into Slovenia at a point that, not so long ago, used to be a section of the iron curtain dividing communist Yugoslavia with Italy. Back then, people were not permited to cross this border and there are still signs warning people that they approaching a prohibited area.
Finished the day at Lipica Stud farm where we stayed the night. This stud has been breeding the same line of horses at the same farm since 1580. That's right, 438 years. Accurate stud breeding records were kept for all those years but unfortunately the earliest records were lost between 1810 and 1815 when Napoleon was running amuck and the French invaded. The breed established here are known as Lippizzaners. They are the predominantly white horses best known these days for dressage and carriages. Foals are black or dark grey when born and 90% of them gradually turn white as they get older. The mares are kept for breeding, the stallions are trained for 7 years starting when they are 3 years old, and dont start work until they are 10. The grounds and facilities here are amazing. Note the photos of the stables.
The karst plateau covers a large area of the Italy/Slovenia border regions. The soil and substrate here is derived almost entirely from limestone which is highly porous, consequently, there are lots of caves, sinkholes and underground water but virtually no surface water at all. Lots of loose rock has provided plenty of material for stone walls and fences over the centuries.
This afternoon we crossed back over from Italy into Slovenia at a point that, not so long ago, used to be a section of the iron curtain dividing communist Yugoslavia with Italy. Back then, people were not permited to cross this border and there are still signs warning people that they approaching a prohibited area.
Finished the day at Lipica Stud farm where we stayed the night. This stud has been breeding the same line of horses at the same farm since 1580. That's right, 438 years. Accurate stud breeding records were kept for all those years but unfortunately the earliest records were lost between 1810 and 1815 when Napoleon was running amuck and the French invaded. The breed established here are known as Lippizzaners. They are the predominantly white horses best known these days for dressage and carriages. Foals are black or dark grey when born and 90% of them gradually turn white as they get older. The mares are kept for breeding, the stallions are trained for 7 years starting when they are 3 years old, and dont start work until they are 10. The grounds and facilities here are amazing. Note the photos of the stables.
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