BROOMFIELD -- The Lipizzaner Stallions World Tour is trotting into Broomfield this weekend and is bringing with it 400 years of history.

It's history that dates back to the horses' war days, when the white-coated stallions were the tanks for the Austrian army. Their colorful past includes carrying royalty on their backs, being saved by Gen. George Patton's men during World War II and, more recently, hitting the big screen in Walt Disney's "Miracle of the White Stallions."

Today, the white-coated beasts don't prepare for battle -- more like the ballet, as they dance, leap and gallop perfectly on cue.

The Lipizzaner stallions show includes many of the traditional exercises presented by the world-renowned Spanish Riding School of Vienna with a departure into a different era with big band and swing music.

A performance highlight is their spectacular leaps and maneuvers known as the "airs above the ground," which are moves straight off the battlefield.

The calm stallions, considered the finest of equestrian breeds, perform seamlessly because of the trust they have for their rider and vice versa, said the show's narrator Troy Tinker, who feeds the audience plenty of the stallions' history.

Each of the 13 Lipizzaners in the show begin training at 4 years old and practice for six to nine years before they are ready for moves so classical that Mozart debuted his music to Austrian audiences with the horses providing the visual element.

"It was one of the first rock videos of the day," Tinker joked. "People had something to watch in addition to listening to music."

What they witnessed hundreds of years ago is the same today.

"It really is the perfect partnership between horse and human," Tinker said.

Movements are performed with ease because stallions are naturally prone to them. The trainer just works to perfect them, Tinker said.

"We're not teaching a bear to ride a bicycle," Tinker said. "We're teaching an animal something they already do."

The result made the Broomfield Event Center's general manager swear there was some sort of "mental telepathy" involved the first time he saw the show.

Gene Felling wanted to bring something special to the area's large horse-riding population. The rare opportunity to see the beautiful stallions strays from the normal games and concerts the event center houses, Felling said.

Horse lover or not, he said, everyone will enjoy the 38-year-old show -- the third-longest running coliseum show behind Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Harlem Globetrotters.

Felling was in awe that the slightest movement by a trainer made the stallions perform incredible feats on the ground and in the air.

"When it works, it's magic," he said.

The equestrian stars love the spotlight as much as the audience loves watching, Tinker said.

"When (the Lipizzaners) get applause, they stand a little more erect," Tinker said. "It's like they're thinking, 'You're here to see me, aren't you?'"

If you go

What: Lipizzaner Stallions World Tour

When: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday

Where: Broomfield Event Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane

Tickets: $22.50 to $27.50. Discounts are available for children 12 and younger, seniors 60 and older and groups of 15 or more. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com, call 303-830-8497 or go to the Broomfield Event Center box office or any Ticketmaster outlet.

Details: www.broomfieldeventcenter

.com or www.lipizzaner.com