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It is possible to attend a
formal performance in the Winter Riding School – if you reserve about
six months in advance. I opted for the less expensive viewing of the
morning training sessions between 10:00 a.m. and noon.
I arrived each
morning at 9:00 am, in a persistent drizzle, outside the entrance gate.
By 9:30, the queue stretched out of the courtyard of the Hofburg and
around the block. At ten o’clock, the gates opened and we were led
through a labyrinth of ladders and scaffolding. Late one November night
in 1993, a fire broke out in the Hofburg. While grooms rescued the
stallions from the collapsing stable, passers-by led them to the safety
of the Volksgarten behind the palace. The stallions were saved, but the
damage to the stable and the Winter Riding School is still undergoing
repair.
On entering the upper level of
the Winter Riding School, we stepped from the grey clutter outside to a
baroque world of ornate plasterwork, marble columns, chandeliers and a
portrait of Emperor Karl VI. The viewing area surrounds the school at a
height of about 20 feet, so the audience leans on the carved railing to
watch the riders below. Six or seven riders work
independently in the long, narrow arena. Each stallion is schooled for
thirty minutes.
After five minutes of loose rein walk and some posting
trot, serious work begins. Most of the horses were darkly dappled,
indicative of their youth. They wore snaffle bridles and did basic work
up to shoulder-in. The older, more advanced horses worked on flying
changes (one horse, just learning, couldn’t quite get his legs
organized – how familiar!), canter pirouettes, passage and piaffe.
The riders work silently and
patiently – systematic gymnastic schooling is the classical tradition,
not gadgets and short-cuts. The discipline of the riders is demonstrated
by their uniformly correct seat and schooling methods. They sit very
tall and still in the saddle, steady and light with their hands. The
picture was only slightly marred when one of the younger horses shied at
a television camera and the rider did an inglorious lurch – just to
demonstrate that, however fabled, they are still horses and humans!
Lipizzaners are invariably
depicted as romantically noble and magnificent, near mythological
creatures in books, paintings and porcelain figurines. The reality is
very different. They are simply horses, doing their particular job as
best they can.
My strongest image of Vienna is
of a Lipizzaner working on the levade in hand. He gradually lowered his
hindquarters until his hocks almost touched the ground. Then he raised
one foreleg and paused, wavering a little, to get his balance. The
second foreleg came up an inch or so, he wobbled and lowered the leg. He
tried again – and again. On about the fourth attempt, he succeeded,
and presented the classic pose to near perfection. The entire time, his
face showed intense concentration and concern as he strove to succeed.
His trainer stood quietly behind, not interfering. Dedication, mutual
understanding and desire to excel – that is nobility.
The
experience was definitely worth the daily hour‘s wait in the rain –
especially as the wait was enlivened by the passers-by: horse drawn
carriages, a musician roller-skating to rehearsal with her cello
strapped to her back and the king of Belgium touring the city in a black
limo!
The Spanish Riding School is
often on tour. Before heading for Vienna, contact the Austrian National
Tourist Office, (416) 967-3381, for their leaflet stating the dates when
viewing is possible.
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One of many
equestrian statues in Vienna
Repairs
continue in the Spanish Riding School Stable
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Text
and photographs
© Jean Morris 2002
Reproduction
of either the text or photographs is prohibited without express
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