We checked something off of Bonnie's bucket list on our recent retracing of European steps in Austria and Switzerland. Since I can remember, she has always wanted to see the Lipizzaner's at the Wien Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School in Vienna), but it never worked out when we visited Vienna during our time in Switzerland. Aside from being a famous Austrian tourist attraction, the school is also considered the global center of classical dressage and horsemanship. For Bonnie the equestrian, it was a long held dream come true. For me, it was an exercise in appreciating the scope of European history.
Back in 1572, the first Spanish Riding Hall was built to train and develop the horses and riders of the Austrian Empire. Shortly thereafter, in 1580, the Archduke Charles II established a Habsburg Court stud in Lippiza, or what is now Lipica in modern day Slovinia. The new breed, called Lippizaners, emerged from Spanish, Barb and Arabian stock, and were developed initially for military purposes. In time they developed into riding and light carriage horses. The Winter Riding School of today was built in 1735 by Charles IV, using the Lippizaner stallion lines, and continues as the oldest of its kind in the world.
As this was explained during our tour of the school, I started trying to get some time perspective. The stallions we were seeing in the stalls were descendants of a breed begun more than 430 years ago, in a time that saw the Holy Roman Empire split into two factions, the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg and the Austrian branch. Our country was founded around half that long ago. The riders training in this school are studying the same maneuvers practiced at the time before most of our founding fathers were born.
The commitment to tradition and process is incredible. Riders generally start their training early in life, at the average age of 15. They spend their first four to six years working the stables and learning about the school before they are ever allowed to mount a Lippizaner stallion. If promoted to a position of assistant rider, they spend another four to six years entrusted with the care and training of one horse under the guidance of a Chief Rider. If and when a rider is promoted to Chief Rider, it is expected to be a career for life. The three levels of training - Campagne School, High School, and ultimately Schools above the Ground have taught the same maneuvers over the centuries. An average stallion spends six to ten years in training before completing the final level, if they reach that point at all.
What institution do we know of with that level of continuity or persistence? Certainly nothing here in the U.S..
Back in 1572, the first Spanish Riding Hall was built to train and develop the horses and riders of the Austrian Empire. Shortly thereafter, in 1580, the Archduke Charles II established a Habsburg Court stud in Lippiza, or what is now Lipica in modern day Slovinia. The new breed, called Lippizaners, emerged from Spanish, Barb and Arabian stock, and were developed initially for military purposes. In time they developed into riding and light carriage horses. The Winter Riding School of today was built in 1735 by Charles IV, using the Lippizaner stallion lines, and continues as the oldest of its kind in the world.
As this was explained during our tour of the school, I started trying to get some time perspective. The stallions we were seeing in the stalls were descendants of a breed begun more than 430 years ago, in a time that saw the Holy Roman Empire split into two factions, the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg and the Austrian branch. Our country was founded around half that long ago. The riders training in this school are studying the same maneuvers practiced at the time before most of our founding fathers were born.
The commitment to tradition and process is incredible. Riders generally start their training early in life, at the average age of 15. They spend their first four to six years working the stables and learning about the school before they are ever allowed to mount a Lippizaner stallion. If promoted to a position of assistant rider, they spend another four to six years entrusted with the care and training of one horse under the guidance of a Chief Rider. If and when a rider is promoted to Chief Rider, it is expected to be a career for life. The three levels of training - Campagne School, High School, and ultimately Schools above the Ground have taught the same maneuvers over the centuries. An average stallion spends six to ten years in training before completing the final level, if they reach that point at all.
What institution do we know of with that level of continuity or persistence? Certainly nothing here in the U.S..
Comments
Post a Comment