The Spanish Riding School
Vienna, Austria

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The holiday started in Vienna. In fact, the whole trip was planned around the tickets I obtained for performances at the Spanish Riding School. We arrived on Friday morning and attended the morning schooling at the School. After getting over the initial thrill of being in those hallowed halls and checking out every level, I settled down on the first level at the end opposite the portrait of Emperor Charles the VI, watched and filmed. The full impact of the things I had heard and read about classical riding started to become much clearer to me whilst watching those ever so disciplined and elegant riders school the Lipizzaner stallions. It also became apparent that I hadn't even really begun to comprehend many of the concepts so critical to the correct education of horses and riders. I am listing below the things that made the greatest impression on me and that I found most significant.

• A very deeply bent shoulder-in is practised at the Spanish Riding School.
• The young stallions are ridden VERY forward.
• All of the horses' spirits are still very much intact. They are not broken or even trained. Rather, the riders at the Spanish Riding School have spent years learning how to ride and developing a seat. They discipline themselves both physically and mentally so that they can easily manage anything the horses present them. The rider's aids truly influence the horses (as opposed to disturb) so that the horse probably doesn't even realize he isn't acting of his own free will.
• The very white (older, more experienced, High school) and very dark grey (youngest, first year) stallions appeared to be the most compliant or least argumentative. The intermediate stallions, the ones likely at the "Campaign" stage appeared to argue the most with their riders. All the horses, without exception, appeared very content and mentally relaxed even if they argued with their rider or felt the need to express a little additional joie de vivre.
• The lipizzaners used at the School are very correct. Their conformation is superb and their action is near perfection. I didn't see any winging or paddling, for example.
• The strict attention to rhythm and tempo was obvious, and the promotion and maintenance of correct paces. However, apparently these things become secondary when the airs above the ground are being introduced!
• The whips really are simply birch sticks and many riders carried two, one in each hand.
• The riders keep sugar for the horses in the tail of their coat.

• being elevated above the arena surface, I felt like I could feel what the riders were experiencing as they rode almost underneath me

In addition to the schooling on Friday, we attended performances on Saturday and Sunday and we visited the Lipizzaner Museum which permits a view into the stallions stables. For the performance on Sunday, we were seated on the ground floor, in third row, and I was sitting exactly on the centre line. On Friday and Saturday we entered the Spanische Reitschule via the Josefsplatz entrance, waiting in line in the courtyard like everyone else. On Sunday we entered the School via the entrance on Michaelerplatz which passes by the office and through a hallway lined with europe highlighting some of the history of the School. There are no queues at this entrance. Once inside, I was filled with the thought that I was walking the same path that countless dignitaries and Royals had walked before me. I was standing in places that Podhajsky had frequented! I was now within mere feet of these horses and riders.

I felt like the riders in the quadrille were saluting me personally as they approached on the centre line. Filming/photography is not permitted, however, it seems they are primarily concerned about the performances. Many of us were filming during the schooling without incident but during the performances we were asked to put the cameras away. I am lucky to have the footage because I manage to pick up something valuable every time I watch (and I have watched a few times now!) Perhaps the school is more tolerant during the schooling sessions because they realize this is the only time many of us ever get to see work with horses of this calibre.

Courbette

I wish I had more information about the riders and the horses that appear here. Even the information provided for the performances was sorely lacking in this department. I did recognize the faces of some of the riders but I don't know a thing about any of the horses.

I suspect this Caprioleur is relatively inexperienced. He appeared to lack control during his efforts at the jump and during his first two attempts, thrust his head and neck forward on a horizontal plane in a most ugly fashion. This was the best capriole I saw. Note that they are being assisted by the rider in the foreground of the shot who is using his whip.

Most of this trip was planned and booked using email and the Web including the purchase of the tickets for the performances at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

copyright (images and text)
Barbara Dodington-Huis 1999

From Vienna, we drove to the Lipizzaner Stud Farm in Piber ....

or
you can skip Piber and go straight to Reitinstitut E. von Neindorff in Germany
or
skip Piber AND Reitinstitut E. von Neindorff and go straight to England
or
if you find this all too horsey or too intense you can go to the summary

copyright (images and text)
Barbara Dodington-Huis 1999