Spanish Riding School, Vienna. source: Osterreich Werbung/Lammerhuber, courtesy of Austrian National Tourist Office.
The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the only institution in the world which has practiced classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the haute école for over 430 years, and continues to this day. The objective of classical equitation is to study the way the horse naturally moves and to cultivate the highest levels of haute école elegance the horse is capable of through systematic training. The result creates an unparalleled harmony between rider and horse, as only Vienna’s Spanish Riding School, with its Lipizzan stallions from Piber, achieves. During the gala performances they display the spectacular perfection of the various “High School” lessons including the ‘pas de deux’, the work in hand and on the long reins, the school above ground and the “great school quadrille” which requires 8 stallions. The airs above ground are performed in the classical style of the levade, the courbette and the capriole, and are one of the highlights of the shows.
