Home to the famous Lipizzaner horses bred for Vienna's Spanish Riding School since 1920, with baroque castle, stables, and alpine pastures.
Visit Piber in Austria's western Styria to see Lipizzaner horses bred for the Spanish Riding School since 1920. Walk through the historic stables. Watch young stallions train. Explore the baroque Piber Castle. See foals with their mothers. Take carriage rides through the hills. Learn about these horses at the Mythical Horse museum.
Visiting the Lipizzaner Stud Farm
Go to the Piber Federal Stud with 250 horses on 555 hectares. See how Lipizzaners are bred using methods from centuries ago. Find 70 broodmares and their foals in nursery areas. Notice dark-coated newborns turn grey as they grow. Watch training sessions in the riding arena between 13:45 and 14:15 on weekdays. Staff introduce young horses to bridles and harnesses. View live blacksmith demonstrations. Examine historic carriages in the exhibition barn. The stud keeps detailed records for each horse from birth. These preserve bloodlines from six stallion and seventeen mare families.
How the Horses Live and Breed
Learn the horses' life cycle. Foals stay with mothers for six months. Then they join separate herds for males and females. Young horses spend summers on alpine pastures. Mares go to Brendlalm and stallions to Stubalm. They build strength on steep land. At age four, some stallions go to Vienna's Spanish Riding School. They train for six years. Only the best return briefly for breeding. About 40 foals are born each year. Most arrive between January and May. Spring Foal Experience Days celebrate new births. Horses not chosen for Vienna are sold abroad. Retired horses live at Piber.
Things to Do and Tours
Book guided tours at 11:00, 13:00, 14:15, or 15:30. These include the stables, castle grounds, and breeding archives. Take a 30-minute carriage ride pulled by Lipizzaners. It costs €116 for six people and goes along farm tracks. Children follow the adventure trail with quizzes about stallion Neapolitano Sessana. In summer, go on tours to alpine pastures. See horses grazing at 1,500 meters. For self-guided visits, get an audio guide with a €10 deposit you get back. Winter tours require going with staff.
Piber Castle and the Horse Museum
Explore the baroque Piber Castle. It was built as a Benedictine priory in 1716. The castle holds weddings and concerts in its arcaded courtyard. Go upstairs to the Mythical Horse museum. See interactive displays about Lipizzaner history. View augmented reality models. Examine original stud books in the castle's archives. These document bloodlines since the 18th century. In mid-September, Almabtrieb festivities happen. Horses parade from mountain pastures past Maria Lankowitz church.
Events Through the Year
In May, attend the Mother’s Day event. Foals perform their first demonstrations. During summer, the Piber Castle Festival has theatre in the courtyard. In September, go to the Almabtrieb celebration. Horses return from high pastures wearing flower garlands. From late November, browse the Christmas market selling crafts. Carol performances happen there. Join the December 24th walk. In March and April, many people come to see foal births.
Practical Information for Visitors
The stud opens daily 9:30–16:00 from 12 April to 2 November. It closes 12:00–13:00 for horse rest. Winter hours from November to December change often. Check the farm's website. Admission with a guided tour costs €19 for adults. Students and seniors pay €18. Children aged 6 to 18 pay €12. Children aged 4 to 5 pay €6. Pasture tours have discounts. Park at the visitor car park at the base of Castle Hill. Do not drive on restricted roads. Eat at the Café-Restaurant Piber for regional dishes. Order picnic hampers two hours ahead.
Travel Directions to Piber
Drive west from Graz for 45 minutes. Go through Köflach. Follow signs for Lipizzanergestüt Piber. From Vienna, take a train to Graz. The train takes about 4 hours. Then take a GKB train to Köflach. On weekdays, take bus 702 from Köflach station. The bus goes to Piber stops in 20 minutes. Then walk for 10 minutes. On weekends, you need a taxi from Köflach. Use the tim car-sharing service to get a discount on entry. Book flux shared taxis by calling 050 61 62 63.
