During the reign of the Habsburgs, the nobility and the military in Europe were interested in a strong but flexible breed of horses, which they could use for their purposes. At the end of the 16th century, Archduke Charles II founded a stud farm in Lipizza, where horses were bred in a very selective way to the now well-known and popular breed. At the Spanish Riding School in Vienna Lipizzaner horses show classical dressage lessons since the interest in these horses has awakened.