Agriculture at the stud: a showcase for circular economy
In addition to the intensive care provided by our employees, on-farm farming also plays an important role in our Lipizzaner breeding. Approximately 215 ha of mowing and grazing areas as well as 140 ha of alpine pastures are managed. In addition, there are about 120 ha of forest areas.
In order to guarantee an excellent quality of the basic food for our horses, the most modern technology is used, such as our hay drying plant, which was built in 2021. It is heated with wood chips from our own forest. The production volume is currently around 750 tonnes/4,000 bales of hay per year. From 2023, all the Spanish Riding School's sites will be supplied with hay produced in Piber. The approx. 5-7 tonnes of horse dung produced annually will in turn be used to fertilise the green areas. In Vienna, the horse dung is given to the federal gardens for fertilising the roses. Modern agriculture in Piber is thus a showcase for successful circular economy.
Environmental and animal protection
In spring 2022, 50 orchard trees were planted in the area of the stud in cooperation with ARGE Streuobst and LAG Lipizzanerheimat. In a few years, they will provide juicy fruit for our visitors. As part of a competition at regional schools, creative and special insect hotels were produced by the respective pupils. The aim is to contribute to the preservation of insect diversity.
Together with the company Alltec Dental GmbH, a tree sponsorship campaign was launched. Customers who purchase certain products receive a tree sponsorship on our stud farm grounds. With the help of this cooperation, the historic tree avenues of the stud farm are being reforested.