The reason for the delay is that the Croatian, Hungarian and Slovak national stud farms, who are also participating in the project, have not yet entered the Lipizzaner horse into their national registries. The nomination process can't begin until they do so.

Lipica takes initiative in joint bid
In 2015, Austria attempted to get the Spanish Riding School in Vienna on the UNESCO list of cultural heritage, but Slovenia filed an appeal. Now, the national Lipizzaner stud farms in Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia will launch a joint bid to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Lipica Stud Farm will take the initiative in the joint bid, and the joint application will be submitted on March 31, 2018.

The Croatian, Hungarian and Slovak national stud farms have yet to enter the Lipizzaner horse into their national registries. According to the Lipica Stud Farm, Croatia is in the process of wrapping up the paperwork, Slovakia is expected to complete the process in May, while Hungary appears to be lagging behind.

Slovenia's Economy Ministry, which is in charge of the Lipica Stud Farm, and the Ministry of Agriculture said that they support the initiative. The Culture Ministry and the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum said that they will help the Lipica Stud Farm prepare the bid. The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the Gorica Museum, and the national Institute for Nature Conservation have also pledged to provide assistance. Slovenia has recently nominated bobbin lace making and the building method of dry stone walling for UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Irena Cunja, Radio Koper; translated by D. V.