The property was training grounds for draft horses imported from Iowa. The Little brothers worked with the powerful animals in the fields, readying them for their next assignments at farms and Coast Guard stations up and down the coast.

If the Littles could see the more than one dozen gray-white stallions taking up residence on the farm this week, they'd certainly be impressed, said site manager Bethany Groff.

Measuring 14 to 16 hands (56 to 64 inches tall at the shoulder), Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions, a rare breed that originated in Austria in the 16th century, are visiting not to train but for pure show.

They will perform their equine feats of strength and skill in three shows tomorrow through Sunday at the farm on Little's Lane.

"What they represent is the highest level of horse training in the world," Groff said.

Founded for the exclusive use of the Hapsburg royal family of Austria, the Lipizzans are considered among the oldest and rarest aristocratic breed of horses in the world.

Often called the "Dancing White Horses," they were saved from extinction by Gen. George Patton, who rescued them from the Russian advance during World War II. Patton was assisted by Col. Ottomar Herrmann Sr., and his son, who smuggled the horses from behind enemy lines, riding at night and hiding by day. The escape was recounted in the Disney movie, "Miracle of the White Stallion."

First bred as war horses. the breed mastered the leaps and plunges they perform today on the battlefield centuries ago. Their stunts originally were intended for use by mounted riders to inspire fear in the hearts of foot soldiers.

The Herrmann family has been breeding and training Lipizzans for more than 300 years, and today maintains a 200-acre ranch in Florida to ensure their future.

The horses will perform in the back field of the Newbury farm. Attendance is limited only by parking, with Groff estimating the site can accommodate 800 to 900 people per show.

Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics, as well as bug spray. Snacks and souvenirs will be available.

Groff, who calls herself "a horse nut," said the Lipizzans are a perfect fit for the 230-acre Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, which was an active dairy and horse farm in its day.

"The farm was always a horse-training facility in one way or another," she said. "We're always looking for new ways to bring people to the farm and engage the public. This seemed to make sense."

Today, Molly is the only horse that calls the farm home. Groff wonders how the 19-year-old retired Thoroughbred mare adopted last year from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Nevins Farm in Methuen will handle the presence of stallions.

But Groff, who has never seen the Lipizzans perform, also is worried about her own reaction to the majestic horses.

"They're a very itinerant group, like the circus," she said. "I may just run away with them myself."

Stallions step by step

At once intense and focused on precision, yet aesthetically graceful and beautiful, Herrmann's Lipizzans present a varied program.

The "Airs Above the Ground" series of stunts is the most dramatic and difficult. It features highly refined leaps performed only by stallions of great strength, intelligence and endurance.

Here are some of the moves in a typical show:

Courbette: The horse does several jumps on his hind legs while holding his fore legs off the ground.

Capriole: The horse leaps from all four feet and, at the peak of elevation, strikes out violently with his hind legs.

Levade: The horse rises on his haunches from a standstill position and tucks his fore legs under him as he maintains a 45-degree angle. The levade is often the pose of classical equestrian sculpture and art.

Pas de Trois: Three stallions presented in a drill of balletic grace and precision.

Military Quadrille: Six to eight stallions working intricate patterns.

source: www.hlipizzans.com

If You Go

What: Herrmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions of Austria

When: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Where: Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, 5 Little's Lane, Newbury

How: Tickets to the 90-minute show are $10 for the public and $8 for Historic New England members in advance, and $12 for the public and $10 for members the day of the show. Child and group discounts available. Free tours of the property's circa 1690 stone and brick manor house available before and after shows. Call 978-462-2634 or visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org.