Centuries ago, Lipizzaner stallions were trained in battle maneuvers - intricate leaps and exercises once used by riders to protect and defend themselves on the battlefield.

Today known as "Airs Above the Ground," the moves appear to be a breathtaking ballet.

Locals can view those stunning maneuvers set to music and learn about the breed's history when the "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions tour comes to Rapid City on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

"It's magnificent to watch them work," producer Gary Lashinsky said of the stallions' equestrian art. "They're so special and so different. There are only 3,000 in the entire world. … It's really a very small breed."

Although they are not affiliated, most of the production's horses come from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, a centuries-old training center in Austria that carries on the tradition.

Lashinsky was first intrigued by the Lipizzaner breed when he viewed a rare Spanish Riding School tour in the 1960s, but he wasn't confident there was a market for a touring production.

The popularity of the Disney film "The Miracle of the White Stallions," about General George S. Patton's dramatic rescue and preservation of the breed during World War II, inspired Lashinsky to create and produce a show featuring the famous horses.

It was a risk - but it paid off.

"I never thought, when we first put this tour out in 1970, that we would be here this long," he said.

An immediate sensation at the time, the production is still tremendously popular. The reason for that success, Lashinsky said, is in the event itself.

"It's a good value for the dollar. It's very traditional, and very entertaining, and you don't have to be a horse lover to enjoy it," he said. "It's a good family show."

The performance features 12 to 14 horses exhibiting awe-inspiring movements that are the result of countless hours of methodical preparation. Lipizzaner stallions are trained in classical dressage - the guidance of a horse through a set of maneuvers - and only after six to eight years of instruction at a training facility in Florida are the beautiful horses ready for the stage.

Today, all-new music, choreography and routines have been incorporated.

The emphasis during this tour is on the Lipizzaner breed's legendary background, from its original breeding as a horse of war, to a horse of aristocracy, to a living form of equestrian art.

Narration throughout the show describes Lipizzaner stallions, their fascinating history and the details of dressage, so that attendees who aren't "horse people" will have a better understanding of what they are viewing.

"I hate to say it's educational, but it is educational," Lashinsky said.

Contact Ruth Milne at 394-8329 or ruth.milne@rapidcityjournal.com

If you go

What: The "World Famous" Lipizzaner Stallions 37th anniversary tour

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29

Where: Rushmore Plaza Civic Center

Tickets: $26.50 to $17.50 at www.gotmine.com, 1-800-GOT-MINE or 394-4111; group rates available