Romfilatelia and Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Friday, December 5th this year the joint stamp issue Romania – Uruguay, with the thematic subject for collectors: HORSE BREEDS. The issue, meant to mark the anniversary of 90 years of diplomatic relations consists of two postage stamps, a block of two perforated postage stamps, a First Day Cover, and a philatelic folder containing a special collectible product, in a limited edition.
Among the many known horse breeds, the postage stamps, with the face values of Lei 14 and Lei 8, depict two of them: the Romanian Lipizzan and the Criollo horse from Uruguay.
Originally from Lipica (Lipizza) in Slovenia, Lipizzans are regarded as the ‘ballet dancers of the horse world’ and are admired in dressage displays in Romania and especially at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. They are known for the grace with which they perform the most complex dressage exercises.
A testament to the importance enjoyed by horses belonging to the Lipizzan breed is their inclusion on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2022), under the title ‘Lipizzan horse breeding traditions’.
The first Lipizzan stud farm was established in 1580 at the command of Archduke Charles II of Austria, in the Transylvanian town of Lipova. The chosen area offered conditions similar to those in Andalusia (Spain), from where the first horses originated, intended to form an improved, native breed. In 1874, the Budapest Parliament ordered the Imperial Stud Farm to be reorganised in Făgăraș, with the administrative headquarters located in the Castle of Count Brukenthal.
Another relocation followed, to Bábolna (Hungary) in 1913. After the formation of Greater Romania, it was decided to re-establish the Lipizzan stud farm at Sâmbăta de Jos (1920), laying the foundations for the breeding and development of the Romanian Lipizzan. The stud farm belongs to the Romanian State and is administered by the National Forest Administration – Romsilva. Separately, the Administration also manages the Beclean Stud Farm, where the selection and preservation of the coat colour preferred on the purebred horse market is carried out.
Belonging to the noble-gaited horse breeds, the Lipizzan brings together a set of refined qualities: gentleness, intelligence, docility, lively temperament, elegance, and an eagerness for movement and work. Associated with high-level dressage, it appears in demonstration shows and in film productions.
The Criollo, a breed of Uruguay, originates from the first horses brought to the Pampas in 1536 by Pedro de Mendoza (when the foundations of the city of Buenos Aires were laid). They were used for long journeys, farm work, or hunting.
More than three centuries later, many Thoroughbred horses were brought to South America, positively influencing the development of a breed characterised by elegance and strength, known as the Criollo breed. Horses of this breed are active, energetic, agile in movement, sturdy and resilient, and to these qualities they add courage, loyalty, and longevity.
It is worth noting that specimens of this breed are also found in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Paraguay, where they are regarded as endurance champions alongside Arabian horses. Owing to their migration across wide areas, the breed of free-roaming horses was also influenced by Portuguese horses, the Lusitano.
Romfilatelia thanks the representatives of the National Forest Administration – Romsilva, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the Postal Administration of Uruguay (Correo Uruguayo), the Embassy of Romania in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, and the Embassy of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay in Romania, for their documentary support and cooperation in developing this joint postage stamp issue.
