Croatia split from Yugoslavia in the wars of the 1990s, and is currently going through a painful transition into a market economy.

NPR: Croatia's Referendum On Golf Project Fails

Croatia and its neighbor have been at odds over a number of political and territorial issues since both split from Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and since Slovenia become an EU member in 2004.

NPR: To Join EU, Croatia May Give Up Its Wine

That may explain why, after the horses were liberated from the Red Army, most of the Lipizzaners were split between the losers, Italy and Austria, while Yugoslavia, which fought with the allies, got only 11 animals.

ECONOMIST: Horses with wings