Vienna's Spanish riding school names first woman rider
September 15, 2016
The end of male dominance has began as the over 450- year-old Spanish riding school of Vienna, renowned for its white horses and immaculate equestrianism, presented its first ever woman rider.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Bruna
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"I am so very proud to be here, which has nothing to do with being a woman," 29-year-old Hannah Zeitlhofer said. Back in 2008 the school in the center of Vienna opened its training to women. After eight years of learning Hannah Zeitlhofer will now be in charge of several horses as well teaching at the school. She says there is no battle of the sexes at the riding school, adding: "Here you are accepted 100 percent as a woman and I'm very pleased about that."
The riding school belongs to UNESCO's intangible World Heritage. Heading the institution since 2007 has been the entrepreneurial society dame Elisabeth Gürtler. The traditional school for Lipizzan horses in the Hofburg offers public performances as well as permitting public viewings of some training sessions making it a popular tourist attraction. Every year some 300,000 people visit the sold-out dressage performances in Vienna, the stables in Piber near Graz or the training center in the lower-Austrian Heldenberg.
is/ey/sc (dpa)
Performing horses: The world's first classical riding school
Along with St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Prater, the Spanish Riding School is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vienna. The world-famous imperial riding school celebrates its 450th anniversary in 2015.
Image: Michael Rzepa
School of equestrian art
The first records mentioning the Spanish Riding School in Vienna go back to 1565. A covered riding arena was commissioned to be built on previously existing riding grounds. Charles II, Archduke of Inner Austria, founded the Lipica Stud Farm in what is now Slovenia. Spanish horses were bred there and later crossed with Neapolitan and Arabian breeds, from which the Lipizzan breed was developed.
Image: ASAblanca/Rene van Bakel
From dark to light
The horses of this fine breed are well known for their bright white coat. Yet they are usually born gray: Their coat becomes lighter during the first six years of their life. There are also Lipizzan horses with hair of other colors, including brown, bay and dun. They are typically kind, elegant and strong. They grasp new tasks quickly and have a lot of Courage - which is crucial for their job.
Image: Archiv Boiselle
Imperial entertainment
The Winter Riding School was built on the site of a championship course at the Vienna Burggarten in the 18th century. On special occasions, horse shows were organized there to entertain the imperial court and the privileged upper class. This is the hall where the Spanish Riding School performs to this day.
Image: picture alliance/IMAGNO/Sammlung Hubmann
The most beautiful riding hall in the world
No other riding stable in the world compares to this sunlight-flooded Baroque building. Emperor Charles VI commissioned the architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to design the hall, and his son completed the project. They were inspired by the chapel of the Palace of Versailles.
Image: Michael Rzepa
The royal box
A centerpiece of the hall is the royal box. This is where the imperial court would sit to enjoy the shows. A huge portrait of Charles VI hangs in the background. Even though the box no longer seats royalty, the horsemen still salute the painting when they enter the hall.
Image: Stefan Seelig
The morning training sessions
The training methods for the horses can only be transmitted orally, as tradition has it. Young stallions are trained two hours a day in the morning to prepare them for the "High School" stage. These sessions can be viewed by the public.
Image: Julie Brass
Graceful agility
The classical dressage of the noble horses has not changed since the Renaissance period. Once the Lipizzaner stallions go through their training, they can master the most impressive figures. Here a horse shows one of the classical school jumps, the capriole, which was initially a technique for horses engaged in close-combat warfare.
Image: ASAblanca/Rene van Bakel
The ballet of the white stallions
The climax and conclusion of a performance is the School Quadrille. The stallions perform different figures to 20 minutes of waltz music. This quadrille is considered the longest and the most difficult in the world and requires the highest level of concentration from the horses and their riders. In 2010, the Spanish Riding School was listed as UNESCO Immaterial Cultural Heritage.
Image: Stefan Seelig
Three stations to perfection
Since 1920, the Piber Fedral Stud located in western Styria, Austria, is the stud farm dedicated to the breeding of the Lipizzan horses. After an initial training in a classical dressage center, they are further schooled in Vienna until they attain perfection. This year, the 450th anniversary of the Spanish Riding School will be celebrated with spectacular galas on June 25, 26 and 27.
