The tiny Slovenian village of Lipica is the proud cradle of the world's most distinguished horse breed. Now world-renowned dressage horses, Lipizzan horses were originally bred for the Hapsburg court in Vienna. In December 2022, a bid from eight countries that jointly applied to have their shared heritage of Lipizzan breeding enlisted on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list was successful, with the countries coming together this month to celebrate the inscription at a dazzling show. "They are phenomenal animals" says Laura Highlander, a horse farm owner visiting the show, "the way that they've been trained and the skill level of the riders is incredible." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES