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CasssandraCat
You may think that a couple of white horses dancing to classical music is a tourist attraction, but visiting the stud farm is really an experience you should not miss when in the area.At the farm, you will mainly see female horses, male horses in retirement, young horses still in training, and most lovely of all baby horses, which are still black and only turn white over a few years.The entire impression is that the horses are pampered and cherished beyond belief. There is music everywhere (Avicii when we were there), because "the horses love music". In regular intervals, the horses hoofs are maintained, and they always take two horses at a time, because "you would also enjoy a manicure more if your best friend is by your side". They were feeding the baby horses at the time, and one of the staff went to a little black horses, patted it on the tummy and remarked "oh, my dear mousie, you've eaten a lot, you're getting a small pot belly, aren't you!" The little horse nudged him back.The atmosphere is very relaxed, happy, and carefully guarded. Still, you have a chance to not only see the horses up close, but to actually touch them in their boxes. They give the impression of being calm, well-maintained and not having a worry in the world. One of the retired stallions was there - he had done tours all over the world, including Japan and North America - and looked out curiously through his box. I held his face in my hands and asked him if he was aware that he was a superstar. If he was (and I think they know), he did not have a diva attitude at all.All in all, a wonderful experience to see these beautiful animals up close. PS: Tripadvisor lists the same attraction under two different names, Stud Farm (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g190432-d535012-Reviews-Piber_Stud_Farm-Graz_Styria.html) and Lipizzanergestüt (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1195735-d2400616-Reviews-Lipizzanergestut_Piber-Koflach_Styria.html).
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CasssandraCat
You may think that a couple of white horses dancing to classical music is a tourist attraction, but visiting the stud farm is really an experience you should not miss when in the area.At the farm, you will mainly see female horses, male horses in retirement, young horses still in training, and most lovely of all baby horses, which are still black and only turn white over a few years.The entire impression is that the horses are pampered and cherished beyond belief. There is music everywhere (Avicii when we were there), because "the horses love music". In regular intervals, the horses hoofs are maintained, and they always take two horses at a time, because "you would also enjoy a manicure more if your best friend is by your side". They were feeding the baby horses at the time, and one of the staff went to a little black horses, patted it on the tummy and remarked "oh, my dear mousie, you've eaten a lot, you're getting a small pot belly, aren't you!" The little horse nudged him back.The atmosphere is very relaxed, happy, and carefully guarded. Still, you have a chance to not only see the horses up close, but to actually touch them in their boxes. They give the impression of being calm, well-maintained and not having a worry in the world. One of the retired stallions was there - he had done tours all over the world, including Japan and North America - and looked out curiously through his box. I held his face in my hands and asked him if he was aware that he was a superstar. If he was (and I think they know), he did not have a diva attitude at all.All in all, a wonderful experience to see these beautiful animals up close. PS: Tripadvisor lists the same attraction under two different names, Stud Farm and Lipizzanergestüt (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1195735-d2400616-Reviews-Lipizzanergestut_Piber-Koflach_Styria.html).
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Ingrid49_12
We were there on a lovely and sunny day and could see the horses used in the Spanish Riding School. We had a guided tour in English and could see the stables, trainingring, visit the cute foals and the carrige museum. A nice shop with different things for people interestedin horses. All set in a beatiful surrounding.
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943MaryF943
Despite other reviewer comments, we found it quite easy to travel from Graz to Koflach and thence to Piber. The local train from Graz stops frequently, but stops are quick, and the train is quite comfortable (no first class, but lots of leg room anyway). It would be a long and difficult walk from the train station in Koflach to the stud -- take a taxi! It's about 6 or 7 euros and well worth it. Once there, be prepared -- no one at the stud speaks much if any English. However, we didn't find that a problem at all -- the audio guide was certainly sufficient for anyone who knows anything about horses, and the horses themselves were clearly the stars of the day. The areas that can be visited are limited, and correctly so. But the horses are so very friendly, and the setting is so nice (even on a cloudy day with mud everywhere) that a comfortable 2 hours can be spent walking about. For anyone who has seen these lovely animals at the Spanish Riding School, a visit to the stud farm is really a "must"! And make a stop at the gift shop before you leave!
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cherrylw2014
Wanted to take the grandchildren to see the horses in their various stages of maturity like my husband and I had seen in Slovenia. This place is not a patch on the one in Slovenia where you can see horses galore. Even the exercise to music wasn't what I'd hoped it would be, only a couple of horses moving around an exercise area. Big deal! No if you really want to see something special, don't go here.
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cdickgre
Being easy to reach from the Austrian towns Graz and Klagenfurt north of the highway A2, you will find the stud farm Piber after passing through the town of Köflach nearby. The stud farm is on a mountain with a chateau. Included in the entrance price is a 1 hour guided tour, the ones starting at 1pm and 2pm are including the visit at the farms blacksmith. You will hear about the history of the horses, the horse breeding program, the daily routine of the horses, visit paddocks and some stables around the paddock. Finally you will see the coach museum bad with the entrance ticket you can walk around alone until 5pm. The guided tours at 1 and 2 pm are very crowded most of the times. Our email request for a coach drive was not answered unfortunately so better call them via the information provided on their website www.piber.com. As there was a festival when we visited the coach drive was anyway not possible this time. There is a circuit walk for children with questions and a certificate being awarded after successful completion. I personally thought the stud farm is a little bigger and that I would see more if the daily routine and training of the horses, which takes place somewhere else as far as I learned.
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ShelleyH529
Enjoyed our side trip to the see the magnificent horses. Only a few horses in the barn, the rest were out on the hillside fields that you could not see. Only did the audio tour. Beautiful church on the grounds.
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JMGIII
Lovely spot in Styria where the Lipizzaners are bred and raised for their first few years. The guided tours were not available in English for our visit, but the audio guides were an adequate substitute. We actually enjoyed the chance to peruse the designated stable tour area at our own pace, separate from the large guided group. The highlight of the formal tour was the barn with the youngest colts and their mothers. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. After the formal tour, we browsed the grounds and had a bonus experience. A large group of mares were herded past us out to pasture and we got to see a few mares and their new colts being relocated by the staff. The best though, was getting to see a group of colts and mares frolicking in an open pasture. The young colts were very spirited, racing around and annoying one another and the mares. We could have watched for hours. Beautiful animals being treated with great care and affection by the staff. We saw a few old "retired" stallions that are finishing out their natural lives in this beautiful place.
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371laurenl
This was a great experience for horse lovers. If horses aren't your thing, you probably wouldn't enjoy it as much. We visited in the middle of winter on a weekday, and we did not see any foals or yearlings. We saw and got to pet the group of pregnant mares, two barns of stallions and a group of 4 year old mares. We got a audio-recorder to listen to as the guide did not speak any English. It was a clean and well maintained stud farm with a lot of history. It would have been nice to have a more in-depth tour. Our guide seemed rather rushed though, and he spent about half an hour with us going over things and then left. We continued to walk around after for a while but couldn't go back into any of the barns or buildings (locked). The gift shop was also closed up. I'd really like to come back in the spring or summer to see the foals and it would have also been nice to see some of the stallions outside of their stalls.
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EmeraldDiva
You don't get a lot in the winter. Not much is happening and the tour is not so long. To see the horses you must take a tour which is in German. Our guide seemed so passionate, so enthusiastic but we could not understand a word. The audio guide is helpful, but after a while I gave up and carried it in my pocket. For me, as a horse lover, it was all about being able to touch these beautiful horses. We were taken to a paddock full of pregnant mares, some of whom came over for a pat. Later we went into a barn where some of the mares really wanted to be cuddled and that was just wonderful. Later in the stallion's stables there was another chance to interact with these magnificent horses and, for me at least, this made it all worth it. I have attended performances at the SRS in Vienna and done the stable tour there, but in Vienna you may not touch the horses at all. Maybe for a non horsey person this visit has less appeal, but I am so glad I did it.
