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30-637: The historic role of the Saumur School of Cavalry was to provide training for the officers and non-commissioned officers of the French cavalry. The style of equitation characteristic of the school was first taught by François Robichon de La Guérinière , the French riding master to King Louis XV and author of the manual École de Cavalerie published in 1731. La Guérinière perfected the previous 17th century methods of Antoine de Pluvinel and Louis de Nestier. In 1843, François Baucher introduced his method into

60-419: A Goldzeug . They also carry a "school saddle ", which is made from buckskin and larger than the more commonly seen English saddle used by the school when training the stallions and riders. Gold-plated double bridles are only used for performances. All horses, except the young stallions, wear red and gold or green and gold shabracks , or saddlecloths, under the saddle. Red is for "All Steps and Movements of

90-438: A supreme athlete, not to actually attack. All movements are based on those naturally performed by the horse when at liberty, with the exception of one-tempi changes . The stallions are taught in three stages: The riders, too, are carefully schooled. They first work on the longe without stirrups and reins on well- trained horses for up to 3 years, to teach a balanced and independent seat. They are then allowed to control

120-511: Is an Austrian institution based in Vienna , dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, whose performances in the Hofburg are also a tourist attraction . The leading horses and riders of the school also periodically tour and perform worldwide. It is one of the "Big Four", the most prestigious classical riding academies in the world, alongside

150-456: Is credited for the invention of the shoulder-in , which he called the "alpha and omega of all exercises"; he was the first to describe it. His treatise L'École de Cavalerie , "The School of Horsemanship", which was published in parts between 1729 and 1731, and as a complete work in 1733, is an important book on the training of the horse, detailing equitation, veterinary treatment, and general horsemanship. This book has become an important text for

180-610: Is located above the royal box and opposite the entrance (to which the riders always salute before they ride). The hall measures 55 by 18 metres (180 by 59 ft) and is 17 metres (56 ft) in height. The Spanish Riding School also has summer stables in Heldenberg -Wetzdorf-Lower Austria. The 68 resident stallions are taken there in July and August for seven weeks, where they are kept in stalls with paddocks . The horses are not schooled during this period, but instead are hacked in

210-459: Is the "Work in Hand", to show how the horses are trained for the school jumps levade , capriole , and courbette , all in-hand. This demonstration includes work on the diagonal, on the wall and between the pillars . All stallions wear a snaffle bridle, cavesson , side reins , some on short hand rein, some with a short longe. All carry the traditional white saddle of the school. Then one stallion

240-588: Is then worked "On the Long Rein", in which a fully trained Lipizzan performs all the movements it would be asked to do under saddle. In this section, the horse wears a red snaffle bridle and a red shabrack (saddlecloth) with the golden coat of arms of the Austrian Empire . The " Airs Above the Ground " follows; all horses are under saddle, but the riders do not have stirrups . Movements performed include

270-695: The Cadre Noir , the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art , and the Royal Andalusian School . The Spanish Riding School is located between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz inside the Hofburg in central Vienna . Performances take place in the Winter Riding School, built between 1729 and 1735. The hall of the Winter Riding School is mainly white with some beige and light grey. A portrait of Emperor Charles VI

300-493: The Spanish Riding School of Vienna. De La Guérinière gave exercises to increase suppleness and balance of the horse, and a progressive schooling system to reach an overall goal: a light, obedient, calm horse that was a pleasure to ride. De La Guérinière is also credited with the invention of the flying change and the counter-canter . In his book, Ecole de Cavallerie (Paris, 1733), de La Guérinière stresses

330-565: The levade , capriole and courbette . The performance finishes with the "School Quadrille", consisting of 8 riders working in formation at the walk, trot , and canter , with flying changes , pirouettes , the half pass and the passage . The ride is performed to classical music. Lasting 20 minutes, the School Quadrille of the Spanish Riding School is the longest and most difficult in the world. All riders wear

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360-575: The 16th and 17th century baroque style of riding. The Thoroughbreds and Anglo Arabians are used for the Grand Prix dressage, and perform individually, pas de deux (two horses), pas de trois (three horses), and dûe quantité (four or more horses). They may be either displayed in hand or ridden. The Selle Français are used to display the 'airs above the ground.' Other "Big Four" academies: Fran%C3%A7ois Robichon de La Gu%C3%A9rini%C3%A8re François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751)

390-599: The Cadre Noir have either civilian or military status. Military and civilian riders are distinguished by the insignia on their collar: a grenade for the military or a sun for the civilians. The military members can be either officers or non-commissioned officers. Some of the riders have reached the highest level of international sport, being Olympic gold-medallists or world champions. The Cadre Noir mainly uses Thoroughbreds , Anglo-Arabians , Hanoverians and Selle Français , but also keeps Lusitano horses to demonstrate

420-540: The High School" where four fully trained stallions perform each of the movements seen in the Olympic Grand Prix Dressage test, including the flying change, passage, pirouette, and piaffe. The horses are ridden in double bridle , to demonstrate their high level of training. The "Pas De Deux" is then shown, with two horses demonstrating High School movements in mirror image. The next section

450-443: The High School", "Pas de Deux", "On the Long Rein", "The Grand Solo" and "The School quadrille." Green is used for "Work In-Hand" and the "Airs above the Ground". The shabrack is also used to differentiate the status of each rider: the director of the school has three gold bands and gold fringe, the chief riders have three bands and no fringe, riders have two bands, and assistant riders have one. The young stallions are not exhibited in

480-563: The Spanish Riding School are bred at the Piber Federal Stud located near the village of Piber in western Styria , Austria . One of the original studs used to develop the breed was Lipizza, now called Lipica , near Trieste in modern Slovenia , which gave its name to the breed. The Spanish Riding School has antecedents in military traditions dating as far back as Xenophon in Ancient Greece , and particularly from

510-562: The United Kingdom, and Hannah Zeitlhofer , a 21-year-old from Austria, passed the entrance exam and were accepted to train as riders at the school – the first women to do so in 436 years. The methods used by the Riding School are based on François Robichon de la Gueriniere . It is a common myth that the movements were developed to aid in battle; in fact, they were used to strengthen the war horse's body and mind and make him

540-492: The animals themselves, under the eye of an experienced rider, until they can perform the high school movements. With intensive training, this will take 2–4 years. The rider is then allowed to train a young stallion from unbroken up to High School, a process that usually takes 4–6 additional years. Performances at the Spanish Riding School were originally only presented to guests of the Court, and then when they were finally opened to

570-481: The general population at the turn of the century, it was only for special occasions. However, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the school opened up regular performances to the general public to help pay for its upkeep. The original performances were quite short, with the chief riders presenting stallions in the High School movements, airs above the ground, work in-hand and exercises on

600-584: The international prestige of French horsemanship ensured the survival of the Saumur training centre in the form of a national riding school under the Ministry of Sports. Accordingly, in 1972, the National School of Équitation was constituted around the Cadre Noir, which provided its core teaching staff. Today, there are about 50 horses and a team of elite riders, usually limited to 22. The members of

630-412: The long rein, and then a Pas de Deux (two horses in mirror image) and a four-rider Quadrille would finish the performance. The program today has expanded. It begins with the "Young Stallions" which have recently arrived from the stud farm at Piber . They demonstrate the first phase of training, in which the horse moves forward and accepts the aids. The next section is the "All Steps and Movements of

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660-484: The military horsemanship of the post-medieval ages when knights attempted to retain their battlefield preeminence by shedding heavy armor and learning to maneuver quickly and with great complexity on a firearms-dominated battlefield. Traditionally, Lipizzaners at the school have been trained and ridden wholly by men, although the Spanish Riding School states that there has never been an official ban on women. In October 2008, two women, Sojourner Morrell, an 18-year-old from

690-510: The nearby forest. The riding school was first named during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1565, long before the French manege of Antoine de Pluvinel , and is the oldest of its kind in the world. Records show that a wooden riding arena was first commissioned in 1565, but it wasn't until 1729 that Emperor Charles VI commissioned the architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach to build the white riding hall used today. Prior to that time,

720-411: The same equipment as the more mature animals. They are ridden in a plain snaffle bridle and a simple dressage-style English saddle . For training sessions, black bridles , both snaffle bit bridles and double bridles , are used for all horses. Horses are clean and well groomed. The Capriole horses wear a braided tail wrapped short in a "queue" (known elsewhere as a "mud tail"), which is fixed with

750-577: The school operated from a wooden arena at the Josefsplatz . For a time, the riding hall was used for various ceremonies, but it is now open to the public, who may witness the training and performances by the stallions. The Spanish Riding School was named for the Spanish horses that formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed, which is used exclusively at the school. Today the horses delivered to

780-563: The school. This event marked the beginning of a small "war" between the vicomte d'Aure (head of the school) and Baucher, which continued for several years. After World War II the mounted element of the French Army had been reduced to a few squadrons of North African spahis (disbanded in 1962) and the primarily ceremonial Cavalry of the Republican Guard . While the need for a purely military riding academy had almost vanished,

810-412: The traditional uniform: brown tailcoats , bicorne -style hats , white buckskin breeches , white suede gloves, and black top riding boots . Swan neck spurs are also part of the uniform. The empire style uniform ( 1795–1820 in fashion ) has remained relatively unchanged for 200 years. During performances, the fully trained stallions wear a traditional gold-plated breastplate and crupper , called

840-404: The use of few aids and punishments while riding. He advises the use of the shoulder-in at all gaits , including the gallop . De La Guérinière states the rider must also have a good seat in order to have a soft, light hand, and makes several references to William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle . Spanish Riding School The Spanish Riding School ( German : Spanische Hofreitschule )

870-745: Was a French riding master who had a profound effect on accepted methods for horse training , and one of the most influential writers on the art of dressage . De La Guérinière was born on 8 May 1688 at Essay , near Alençon in Normandy , France. He spent most of his early years in Normandy. Although his brother Pierre des Brosses de La Guérinière directed the Académie d'équitation in Caen , originally established in 1594 by another French master, Antoine de Pluvinel , de La Guérinière's most influential instructor

900-583: Was de Vendeuil. In 1715, de La Guérinière received his diploma as an écuyer du roi , and he began as a director of an equestrian academy in Paris, a position which he held for 15 years and which earned him a reputation as an instructor and rider. This led to an appointment by the Grand écuyer de France , Prince Charles of Lorraine , as Directeur du Manège des Tuileries in 1730. He held the position of Equerry to Louis XIV until his death in 1751. De La Guérinière

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