[VIENNA, AUSTRIA] [Day 4] All that Jazz with Lipizzans & Spanish Riding School

The Spanish Riding School is one of the oldest riding institute in the world. Its 400 years of selective breeding ( and only from 6 different sires) has formed a strong foundation of a new breed - the Lipizzans that equivalents to strength, beauty and intelligence.

Henry de Toulouse Lautrec - White Horse

(I wonder if this was a Lipizzan!?)

One must wonder why a riding school in Vienna is not called the "Viennese Riding School" instead. Since the Hasburg Karl V ruled his empire in Spain, he brought back the Spanish horses (which was a cross bred between Berber and Arab stallions with Iberian mares) as well as other menagerie to Austria.

This called for a need of a Stallburg.

A bit of a surprise on the street -- all that jazz

Here our guide explained to us that there's only 6 foundational sires of breed lines, so it is a very controlled and selective breeding.

They also use a very precise naming method: where the name of the horse will always start with the sire's name, followed by the name of the mare, so they will always know which line of breed it is from.

Every rider gets their own saddle -- and yes they are very, very expensive

The art of riding: dressage!

It's shocking how beautiful the riding arena is, with a free floating ceiling without any supporting columns. The large symmetrical windows enlightens the hall with a calming glow of ivory.
When the riders enter, they usually take off the tricorns towards the portrait, to thank the Emperor for this wonderful facility they now have today to practice this noble art.

Obviously they don't let visitors ride these amazing Lipizzans so I found a place in the outerskirt of Salzburg for a true riding experience.

Getting ready for the riding lessons

Sidenote: Work of art from Neueburg

This saddle belonged to the King of Bohemia and Hungary (Rudolf II) and apart from the fact that it had an oriental look, it was filled with motif of St. George killing the dragon. The saddle also had a high rise at the back for better stability support.