Spanish Riding School Video Clips

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 What it Takes to Become an SRS Rider

      Rider candidates must meet the requirements of completed compulsory school. They must be at the minimum age of 15 years old, and be athletically and creatively talented. If these requirements are met in the candidate’s written application, the applicant is invited for an interview and a riding audition. After the director of the school and the Senior Riders discuss their initial impressions, they announce to the candidate whether or not he is accepted. After acceptance, he is allowed to begin the highly demanding,10-year training program for becoming an SRS rider.

     Within the 10 to 12 years, the riders start at the level of young rider (Élève) by working in the stable, learning on the stallion school masters, and learning the fundamentals of equine science, veterinary medicine, etc. They also participate in the morning exercises and young stallion performances. If the young rider is able to present an already trained school stallion in all the gaits and dressage movements of haute ècole, he is appointed Student Rider.

     A Student Rider is assigned a young stallion for training. He must train the young stallion in all the haute ècole maneuvers and he must participate in the Spanish Riding School’s performances. The horse and rider may complete their training in five years at the earliest. After the Student Rider qualifies, he becomes a fully-fledged Rider at the Spanish Riding School. It takes no less then 10 years for an Élève to fully complete training and become a Rider.

     The Riders are assigned four to six stallions that they train. They perfect the horse's maneuvers of the haute ècole on a daily basis. The Rider and horse remain together forming a life long team. They also classically instruct the Élèves’ and Student Riders.

~Information obtained from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna~

Training Philosophy

“You Have Time”

     The school is an academy. Therefore, its students are both horses and riders.

     The training of a horse is a life long art and learning process, which is why it may take 10 to 12 years or longer to rise to the rank of Rider. The school focuses on taking their time when working around and with the stallions. They do not want to rush the young student horses in their training. Rather, they assist them in their education. With the absence of rushing or learning too quickly, they are able to avoid frustration and setbacks. The result is a calm, confident, and well trained animal.

     All the movements that you will see performed and trained at the riding school and trained by its riders are natural equine movements. The movements are more pronounced and perfected through empathetic training. 

     Caring for horses demands tolerance, understanding, and the enjoyment of the present moment with the absence of a targeted date by which training must be completed. This is where the saying, “The path is the goal. If you’ve lost sight of the path, you cannot find the goal”, has originated.  

Traditions

     The school's traditions are over 430 years old. In this time, they have been able to perfect their training education for horse and rider. Traditionally, training methods are handed down orally, though, the riders are encouraged to write their findings down for their own and others reference. The school is not set in a particular training pattern for every horse, rather, they allow expansion and encourage new thought. This allows the school to continually grow, and become more perfected over time.      

The Lipizzan

       
Conversano II Grace
Photo provided by Lori Green

     The breed name Lipizzan or Lipizzaner derived from the village where the horses were originally bred in Lipizza. Today, the schools breeding foundation is in Piber. Here, the horses are bred and raised to maturity.

     When a stallion reaches the age of four, he is ready to start his training at the SRS riding school in Vienna. The young stallions are slowly introduced to their new working environment together. They spend the first year getting used to shoes, tack, and lunging. A stallion is lunged for about six months before a rider mounts. The horse learns to focus on his handler and what he is teaching. The stallion learns the basics of collection, extension, and transitions when on the lunge. This helps to insure the rider's and horse's safety. It also promotes confidence and calmness from both.

     After the horse has learned and perfected the tasks asked of him from the ground, the rider is able to mount. Precaution is always taken during this process to be sure that the horse is not frighten or upset. After mounting, the rider familiarizes the horse with his aides. The rider starts first with his seat and legs and then the reins. After the stallion proves himself capable, he is removed from the lunge.

     The training of a stallion may take up to 6 years or more. After he has achieved the classical abilities of the haute ècole, he is accepted as a school stallion with his rider. Learning and training does not stop here! Horse and rider continue to learn and perfect themselves through the help of the other SRS riders. If necessary and beneficial, the horse and/or rider may at any time return to practicing on the lunge.