Fistly people must understand that this is something I have been longing to see since I was 12 (something akin to meeting the queen or the pope)! The Spanische Hofreitschule is absolutely unique in that the riding school has done nothing but train a very select group of riders and Lipizzaner Horses in the art of classical dressage and horsemanship since the 16th Century/Baroque period! The riders spend the entirety of their adult lives training and caring for these horses which are considered a national treasure of Austria! The brand below (on the stallion's left flank) marks it as a Lipizzaner Stallion born and bred in Pieber! This Stallion liked me... and against all rules he nuzzled me (NEVER WASHING FACE AGAIN!!!)
The performance we saw last night featured a fabulous selection of Classical dressage movements, work on the long rein, airs above the ground and the fabulous team manuevers of the Pas de daux and the Quadrille. I must say that I have never seen anything quite as beautiful as the performance last night... it made regular dressage look like a cheap prom queen next to an immaculate geisha! I was literally hanging over the rail in order to try and get a better view of the performance! Unfortunately for you photos are not allowed, I did however manage to snag a few shots from the tour of the barn the day before and there is also a wonderful website here which shows some professional photos of the beauty that is the Spanische Hofreitschule.
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