LIF General Assembly 2023

The General Assembly for the Lipizzan International Federation (LIF) took place on October 14, 2023, at the Beclean Stud Farm in Romania.

The Slovenian Privte Lipizzan Breeders Association was represented by 4 members at the assembly, including President Aleksander Ozmec and Technical Director Klemen Turk as delegates, and Nina Peternel (Barbana Lipizzans )and Primož Tanko(Cvar Stud) as assistants.

In the Hotel Coroana de Aur – Bistrița hall, where the meeting was held, there were 35 full members present (including 17 delegates), 4 participants as observers, and 5 members as guests.

At the beginning of the General Assembly, Nidal Korabi (General Secretary-GS) greeted all participants, provided information about current members, apologies for absences, and non-attending members. He emphasized that the quorum was valid with the presence of 17 out of 23 members, i.e., 73.9%, and that all decisions would be valid.

The members of the LIF Executive Board are:

After the welcome by President M. Dobretsberger, who expressed gratitude to the Beclean Stud Farm and Romsilva for organizing the General Assembly, and to all members who attended, a presentation of the agenda followed. On a short he spoke about the activities that took place in 2022 and the UNESCO project, where the tradition of breeding Lipizzaner horses was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in december 2022.

GS (General Secretary Dr. Nidal Korabi) presented the annual report for 2023, covering board meetings, agenda items, web analytics statistics, Lipizzaner statistics within LIF, main activities, and member activities.

  1. Rus presented the Report of the Breeding Committee for 2023, highlighting work in areas such as the Vučijak Stud Farm, USLF, and the Lipizzaner stud book in the Czech Republic. The breeding committee completed the review at the Vučijak Stud Farm and the stud book of the USLF, both of them were approved. The Lipizzaner stud book in the Czech Republic still needs some corrections, to be done later.
  2. Noordkamp, Dr. vet. med. (representative of the Netherlands-delegate), presented the reports of National Breeding Associations and private breeders, discussing various topics related to LIF. He briefly observed the LIF Judges Clinic and the work of the Breeding Committee.

Ms. Simmons L. (Vice President of LIF and representative from USA) presented the work of working groups, emphasizing their purpose and goals. K. Turk also presented the group for judging Lipizzaners.

  1. Van Den Hooven (representative from the Netherlands) presented the group for exchanging articles and news, while Simmons L. presented the group for promoting of the breed.

The Secretary informed members that LIF has been working for several years on the issue of memberships that do not fulfill their obligations. Therefore, the Executive Board sent some proposals to the General Assembly regarding the status of Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Romania, and the Vučijak Stud Farm. All documents related to the current situation of members and proposed proposals were available on the website before the General Assembly 2023.

Decisions on Membership Status:

Great Britain: The member did not pay membership fees from 2019 to 2022 (4 unpaid years). The General Assembly in 2022 decided to move the member to observer status with a one-year period to fulfill the minimum requirements for full membership. Due to positive activities in 2023, showing good faith, the Executive Board proposed an extension of one more year in observer status to allow compliance. The proposal was unanimously approved by GS members.

Czech Republic: The member has had observer status for a long time, and all membership fees are paid. The General Assembly in 2022 decided on a one-year period to fulfill the minimum requirements for full membership. The member submitted a draft pedigree, still under review by the Breeding Committee. Due to positive activities in 2023, showing good faith, the Executive Board proposed an extension of one more year in observer status. The proposal was unanimously approved by GS members.

Vučijak Stud Farm: The stud farm began preparations for full membership approval in 2022 and applied for approval in 2023. All requirements for full membership were met, and the Pedigrees was also approved by the LIF Breeding Committee. Due to fulfilled conditions, the Executive Board proposed the acceptance of the Vučijak Stud Farm as a full member of LIF. The proposal was unanimously approved by GS members.

Romania: LIF was informed about changes in the Romanian national authority regarding the management of Lipizzaner pedigrees. Received documents and online information indicate that the National Agency for Zootechnics – Prof. Dr. G. K. Constantinescu (ANZ) is the authorized organization in Romania. ANZ applied for membership approval. Due to changes at the national level in Romania and verification by the authorized agency, the Executive Board proposed the acceptance of ANZ as a full member of LIF. The proposal was unanimously approved by GS members.

GS reported that there were no proposals for hosting the LIF General Assembly in 2024. J. Rus presented the intentions of the Lipica Stud Farm to organize the International Lipizzaner Horse Show – Championship in 2024 in September or October. The date will be announced in early 2024.

After the meeting, we attended a gala performance at the Romsilva Stud Farm, featuring breeding stallions on hand, horses in carriage and under saddle.

During our days in Romania, all Slovenian members of the Lipizzaner Breeders Association learned and discovered the Romanian type of Lipizzaner, which differs slightly from the classic Slovenian type. The difference is mainly because of the selection for (dark) color and the fact that the horses are generally larger. They are particularly dedicated to sports, especially in harness competitions, as evidenced by their presence at major events.

As every year, we have gathered again, enthusiasts of Lipizzaner horses from all around the world. The gathering and exchange of information between members are both welcome and, above all, crucial for maintaining good friendships. For the future breeding of Lipizzaner horses, it is important to preserve similar interests in breeding and to stand united!

Nina Peternel- Barana Lipizzans – Slovenia