The White Horse Ballet

Formtion of Spanish Riding School Lipizanner Stallions

December 23, 2012 was a cold, gray day in Vienna, Austria. Bundled  in down coats, winter boots, hats and scarves, my family was rosy cheeked from the cold as we rushed through the festive Christmas Markets. Our senses were teased by the tantalizing smells of roasted chestnuts and spicy Christmas punch. Any other time, we would have stopped to browse the cheerful stalls with their brilliant Christmas displays.This day  was an exception, we were on our way to make my childhood dream come true.Our destination was the Spanish Riding School where we were going to see a performance of the beautiful white Lipizzaner stallions.

The crest of the Spanisch Hofreitscule and  Bundesgestut Piber

 A few months before our visit, we went online to purchase tickets through the Spanish Riding School’s website at http://www.srs.at.  Unfortunately, even months in advance, we needed to split our group of 8 into three different blocks. To avoid disappointment, I would advise purchasing your tickets as far in advance as possible. The tickets ranged in cost from 18.40 euro for a child’s standing in the top balcony to 130 euro for an adult in the best seats (SRS website). We bought three of the best/ most expensive tickets and five slightly cheaper in the first level balcony. I worried that being the only real horse person in my group, that the others would not fully appreciate the historical significance of the Spanish Riding School, the venue or the quality of the performance. 

Giuseppe Galli Bibiena: Court *fête* in the Winter Riding School of the Vienna Hofburg held on 7 January 1744 retrieved from: http://static.habsburger.net/

The Spanish Riding School and the Lipizzaner breed have great historical significance.In it's program, The Spanish Riding School explains "the Spanish Riding School, a significant part of Austria’s cultural heritage, is not only the oldest riding academy in the world, it is also the only one where the High School of Classical Horsemanship has been cherished and maintained for over 430 years"(SRS).  Built from 1729-1735, by Josef Emanuel Fischer Von Erlach, at the commission of Emperor Karl VI, the Winter Riding School stands on the site of Imperial riding arenas, from 1565. The Lipizzaner has graced the Imperial court since it’s foundation in 1580. The Lipizzaner was originally bred in the current day Slovenia town of Lipica, using Spanish horses (hence the name Spanish Riding School). Originally, the Lipizzaner came in a variety of colors,but selective breeding has created the white horses that we now associate with the breed.. Occasionally, a horse remains black or brown, and the Spanish Riding School always keeps one or two in their stables for good luck. Remarkably,the stallions that perform at the Spanish Riding School are direct decedents of the horses that first came to the Imperial Court in the 1500's (SRS).

The Spanish Riding School is tucked away in this stunning palace

 Some historical information was shared during the performance, but not enough to make a huge impact on those that come with little or no prior knowledge. It is remarkable when you know that this institution has survived the Turkish Wars, and two World Wars. The optional, additional cost program does a great job of explaining this history, and I would highly recommend spending the extra money to gain greater appreciation for what you are seeing.

 The website, World War History Online, tells the story of how General Patton helped save the horses of the Spanish Riding School, who were in sanctuary in Poland.

Patton, an expert horseman himself, described the exhibition in his diary that day, calling it "extremely interesting and magnificently performed." Ever the soldier, he added, "It struck me as rather strange that, in the midst of a world at war, some twenty young and middle-aged men in great physical condition…had spent their entire time teaching a group of horses to wiggle their butts and raise their feet in consonance with certain signals from the heels and reins." More telling for Podhajsky, though, was what Patton noted next: "On the other hand, it is probably wrong to permit any highly developed art ,no matter how fatuous, to perish from the earth—and which arts are fatuous depends on the point of view. To me the high-schooling of horses is certainly more interesting than either painting or music" (Unknown author,2012) General Patton helped save  the Lipizzan’s and preserve the breed following WWII Retrieved from: http://activerain.com/

The venue easily lived up to expectation. Tucked away in the Imperial Palace, it is at the center of historic Vienna.  As we entered the Winter Riding School, I was awestruck by the beauty. In fact, I noticed that despite the crowds, a hush fell over us as we entered the arena area. The school is a gorgeous monochromatic palate of taupe and greys. Enormous, crystal laden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, sparkling in the light. The arena is meticulously groomed with warm brown footing, spread so flat that it looked like it could be a ballroom floor. In fact, the whole arena looked more like a ballroom than a riding arena. Two rows of balconies circled the area, separated by majestic  Corinthian columns. The ceilings curved gracefully inward and were covered with beautiful, but subtle designs. At the center of the arena, the twin piaffe pillars rose from the arena floor, the red and white Austrian flags atop, the only burst of bright color in the room.

View from the opposite side of the arena looking towards where we sat . Taken from www.srs.at

The air was crisp as we found our seats and settled in to admire the surroundings. Two of my children and I were in the front row on ground level.The rest of our party were above us in the balcony. Excited whispers filled the air around me. I picked up German, Australian, British, American and French accents swirling through the arena. After much anticipation, the sound system crackled to life and the announcements began, first in German, then English. Unfortunately no photos were to be taken during the performance.  

Me in my front row center seat

Three of my children wait for the show to begin from their first tier balcony

The first act was the young stallions. I held my breath as I waited to see if the quality of the performance was all that I expected. Six gleaming horses entered the arena to the strains of Schubert. These horses, aged 4-6 are in their first and second years of training at the School. They show off their basic gaits of walk, trot, and canter with amazing precision, for such young horses. The riders were brilliant in their chocolate brown frock coats and tall black boots. As a dressage student, I am impressed with how still they sit and allow their mounts to move freely beneath them without interference, this is much harder than it sounds. These young stallions are followed by four senior horses that demonstrate some of the more difficult “high school” movements, including piaffe, passage, pirouettes, tempi changes, half passes, shoulder -ins and more. I was slightly disappointed that there was no narrative to explain these moves to members of the audience who were unfamiliar. Without a little background, it is easy for the untrained eye to find these moves “pretty” but unimpressive. To the trained eye, it is extraordinary. I have never seen such well executed moves, one after the other, with no fuss or temperamental outbursts. These horses and riders are true professionals who make their jobs seem easy.

It is amazing to think that the movements and training that produce this performance have been passed down, uninterrupted, by word of mouth since the Renaissance (SRS). Riders and horses go through years of extensive and systematic training to get to the level to perform at the Spanish Riding School.

Pas de Deux from http://sts.at

  The music of Mozart floats through the air as two exquisitely groomed stallions enter the arena for a Pas de Deux. Two horses and riders dance through the arena, perfectly mirroring each other at all times. The brass of their tack sparkles in the light and not a stitch appears out of place on the rider’s habit. Their work is flawless and even non horse people can appreciate the precision and beauty.

Levade retrieved from wwws.rs.at

  

The room is electric when six horses enter the arena. Each has slightly different equipment this time. Some are ridden, others in hand with one or two riders in attendance. The horses spread around the arena and start performing their specialized moves. These moves are so difficult that each horse spends years perfecting it and only learn one or two in their lifetimes.

There are oohs and ahhs as one white stallion rears up to a perfectly controlled 35 degree angle, known as the Levade. Across the arena, another stallion rears up to a similar position and proceeds to jump off the ground in a series of ever higher hops while maintaining his rearing position. This is the Courbette.

 In a corner I watch as a horse , without a rider on his back, executes a perfect Piaffe, prancing with highly animated legs in one spot, with virtually no forward movement. The Kapriole is the clear crowd favourite and the audience goes wild when a stallion leaps off the ground with all four feet, then with front legs tucked beneath him, explosively kicks out with his hind legs. While I am impressed by the move, I am blown away when I realize that his rider (and in fact, all of the riders now in the arena) has no stirrups. Despite this, he remains perfectly balanced and poised atop his horse. His legs are in perfect position and he is light on the reins. This is an extraordinary display of horsemanship and I am awed. Bertran G. of Basel Switzerland says "I'm not much of an equestrian fan, but I really enjoyed this. It's truly amazing what the Lipizzaner can do, bravo !"(TripAdvisor, Nov. 27, 2012).

The crowd favorite - Capriole retrieved from www.srs.at

The finale consists of eight pairs of horses and riders performing a Quadrille. I have done a (very) little quadrille for fun, and I can attest to how difficult even a basic quadrille can be.The quadrille is 20 minutes of choreographed  perfection. Eight horses dance in perfect unison and symmetry to Chopin and Haydn. From my vantage point, I can hear the footfall of these beautiful creatures as they approach, muscles rippling under glistening white hair. I am so close, that I can feel their warm breath as they pass by.After 80 minutes of enchantment, the show is over. The audience explodes into applause before the horses have left the arena and it is several minutes before the applause ceases. 

Quadrille retrieved from www.srs.at

In summary, I think that the historical significance of the building and the horses, adds to the performance, but not enough background is shared during the performance to make it beneficial for those without prior knowledge. The venue itself is amazing and can be appreciated by horse lovers and non-horse lovers alike. The quality of the performance is incredible, but without explanations of the amount of training required or the actual difficulty of the moves, it may be underwhelming to non-horse people. For horse people, especially dressage riders, the performance is unparalleled.. Non-horse riders may be under awed by the spectacle. NHtoFL, of Englewood, Florida said "I know nothing about horses and at $50 I thought the tickets were a little high, but this was the best "take" of my four days in Vienna. The control the riders have over the horses is incredible" (TripAdvisor,November 5,2012) For me, I hope to go back some day and get a tour of the stables and view another performance. Maybe I will see you there.

  

            

              

                                                                 References:

Spanish Riding School,  Program

Spanish Riding School Website

Trip Advisor

YouTube video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn6Jmqs9IHQ

World War History Online