Legendary White Stallions

F. Murray Abraham narrates this PBS-aired Nature documentary by filmmaker Michael Schlamberger, which visits the legendary Spanish Riding School of Vienna, renowned for the breeding and training of an iconic herd of performing Lipizzaner horses, all descended from six original sires. Viewers will learn that the ancestors of the Lipizzaners were bred by the ancient Berbers in Spain as battle mounts, and that some of the famed Lipizzaner choreography has its origins in close-combat maneuvers. The wide-ranging program covers the intertwined culture of Islam and Catholicism in Spanish Andalusia, the care and raising of the young horses (who are not born snow-white incidentally; some retain striking dark coats into maturity), and the father and son who currently direct the school. The mission to spare the Spanish Riding School from the ravages of World War II (dramatized in the dull 1963 live-action Disney drama Miracle of the White Stallions) goes unmentioned here, and an attempt to erect a narrative around a single Lipizzaner colt (incongruously named Kitty) is only semi-successful. Still, equine lovers are sure to appreciate this mostly engaging profile. Recommended. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)