During the reign of the Habsburgs, the nobility and the military in Europe were interested in a strong yet flexible horse breed that they could use for their purposes. At the end of the sixteenth century, Archduke Karl II established a stud farm in Lipizza, where horses were selectively bred into the breed known and loved today. At the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Lipizzaners have been demonstrating classical dressage lessons since the interest in these horses was awakened.