I visited the morning training and went on a stable tour in the afternoon. Dressage is NOT my forte but I would have given my eye teeth and paid €1500 to take a lesson there.
Hope they’re reading.
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I have this book. It was written by Charles Harris, a student from the school, not by one of the principal riders from the school
You guys should write a proposal to the Austrian govt and go for it.
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In the Olympics women were not allowed to compete until 1952 in Dressage, 1956 in Show Jumping, and eventing 'til 1964.
So why huff and puff at the SRS? They were of military origin.
In the US military, women were pencil pushers, etc until 2001.
So, yes, others did move on with dressage and dressage training, Reiner Klimke for one, but I am sure their methods were refreshed by information from the SRS.
In the 60’s several English riders studied at the SRS, and brought that knowledge back to England, one prominent rider was Robert Hall who founded the Fulmer School. This information profoundly affected British dressage and perhaps the training of Charlotte Dujardin.
Cindi Sydnor, posted to Vienna as a reporter, studied at the SRS. Her clinics are available to anyone interested in hosting.
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If I knew someone willing to fund the endowment I would. Lol. But I’m not that connected. Maybe some reader here is!
For a time Cindy was married to Karl Mikolka a former Chief rider at SRS
At one time she was married to Karl Mikolka…
Ooops, posted before I got to the end of the thread
The Spanish Riding School was once a unique institution that preserved the purest classical dressage, dating from the 16th century, the time of the Spanish Hapsburg empire. The Lipizzan horses and the name of the School are derived from the Spanish horses used by the Spanish/Austrian Hapsburg kings. The white riding hall was commissioned in 1729. The whole enterprise was supported by the Austrian state, through various ups and downs, until 2001 when the stud and the school were merged into one company. By law, the SRS must continue because it is part of the cultural heritage of Vienna and it is owned by the Federal Republic but it is run as an income-generating private enterprise. It is probably impossible to square that circle.
But today the SRS is one of “The Big Four” who each support the highest standards of classical training.
The Cadre Noir in France was established in 1825 to address the poor training and performance of the French cavalry (Waterloo and all that) and the school has always focused on training the instructors, first military and then civilian. By 1972 the Minister of Sport established a National Riding School based around the existing Cadre Noir to support the huge growth of leisure riders in France and it moved from a military to a civilian focus. The French Government actively promotes equestrianism with money derived from the state monopoly on betting.
Then in the late 20th century, along came The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, initially a private organization founded by Don Alvaro Domecq Romero to display the magic of PRE horses. He was a famous horseman from one of the eminent families of the Jerez region that had sustained classical horsemanship and bred horses and fighting bulls for centuries. In 1973 it was taken under the wing of the Ministry of Tourism before being re-founded in 1982, with a Governing Body, under the charge of the Cadiz Provincial Council. The present facilities were purchased in 1983 and, after a public competition, Dom Alvero was made Technical Director of his creation. Again, state support underpins the growth of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Arts and it supports a diversity of equestrian and tourism activities.
Finally, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art was re-founded in 1979 (originally founded in 1726) to train riders and “Alter Real” royal blood Lusitano purebreds in the finest tradition of classical dressage, a skill set still to be seen throughout Portugal. Again, it supports training and education across diverse equestrian activities.
Having seen all four schools on display, speaking personally, the SRS was my least favourite as it seemed a bit lumpen and earthbound. My favourite is the Portuguese as the horses seem to actively enjoy performing and there is music in their step.
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While I respect the SRS, their approach is rooted in their cultural roots of the “germanic” traditions vs the “romantic” traditions of France, Spain & Portugal. Different peoples, different temperaments…which is reflected in their approach to the horse and to instruction.
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But the Iberian horses are quite different from the warmbloods commonly seen in US and Europe. All horses should be trained in similar fashion, but there are and always be slightly different approaches from each school.
It is up to the intelligent rider, trainer to decide which approach works when.
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in 1975 I was an Air Traffic Controller in the US Army, we didn’t all push pencils, just saying.
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I agree with this and never said anything to the contrary. As a matter of fact, each horse and each horse and rider combination are unique and have to be approached in whatever manner is suitable for the student (human or equine) to be able to learn.
I am aware of this. I also own the book. My point was that some of the teachings have been transcribed, so it
Johann Riegler on the Hausberger/Spanish Riding School: “Dilemma began 15 years ago”
03/17/2023
At the beginning of March, it became known that Andreas Hausberger, until now a supervisor at the Spanish Riding School, was released with immediate effect. We talked to one of his predecessors in office, Johann Riegler, about the background.
Johann Riegler says that the Hausberger case is, in a sense, the icing on the cake. He knows what he is talking about, after all, he had experienced similar things when Elisabeth Gürtler became managing director of the Spanish Riding School at the end of 2007. “She had simply doubled the number of performances at that time. I told her I couldn’t do that.” Criticism was not well received. Riegler, who had been working at the Spanish Riding School for 39 years at the time, including 16 years as a supervisor and most recently deputy head of the riding school, was released on duty.
Riegler wasn’t really angry about that: “I always said that if the school is only there for the tourists, then I go. In the past, professionals spent a week in Spanish to learn here. That doesn’t exist anymore today. Today, the tourists look at their travel guides, see Spanish Riding School and attend a demonstration between St. Stephen’s Cathedral and Heuriger.” That was not the environment in which he wanted to work. And other supervisors in the following years either.
In addition to Riegler, Klaus Krzisch also left the venerable institution after Gürtler took office. The situation was similar for Herwig Radnetter and shortly afterwards Wolfgang Eder when Sonja Klima took over the management in 2019. Now there is one more new managing director - Alfred Hudler - and another deserving Obereiter less, namely Andreas Hausberger. The background is similar, says Johann Riegler, who is in contact with Hausberger.
FATAL E-MAIL
Riegler reports that Hausberger has contacted the new managing director Alfred Hudler in writing and expressed his concern that the quality of the riding and the training of the horses is increasing, while at the same time there are more and more demonstrations. What was also “a mistake” in Riegler’s eyes was the last sentence: If he (Hudler) does nothing, he should resign. “A managing director can’t put up with that,” Riegler also sees. However, the formal misconduct does not change the content-related truth of what Hausberger has criticized.
“He told me the other day how he walked across the street towards the changing rooms in the stable castle after a demonstration and was asked by a group of visitors where they could get their entrance fee back because the screening was so bad.”
In Riegler’s eyes, the quality of the cavalry is now “catastrophic”. “At the Spanish Riding School, it was never about offering people a show, but about showing how horses are trained classically. “Classic” does not mean Piaffe, but the gymnastics of the entire musculature. Meanwhile, lighting and sound are being further optimized, but the training of riders and horses falls by the wayside.”
Johann Riegler, who, like Andreas Hausberger, has long been an internationally sought-after instructor, complains above all that there is no longer a guided tour in the riding arena. “In the past, the supervisor specified a line. Today, everyone does what they want.”
WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?
In Johann Riegler’s eyes, it would be ideal to find a managing director who also knows something about classic horse training. “However, a pure managing director activity would also be possible if coordination is made with the supervisor.” And then, of course, his advice would also be listened to. Riegler’s own experience shows that this does not necessarily fail because of the management. “2019 when Sonja Klima took over the post, she said she would only do it when I came back. I would also have been willing to do so on the condition that the management did not talk to me in.” He developed a concept for how to improve the quality of the training of riders and horses again and how the demonstration plan could be designed so that horses and riders are not overwhelmed. They agreed. But the chairman of the supervisory board, at that time Johann Marihart, who has now resigned from his post spoke out against Riegler.
By the way, Johann Marihart was also a member of the supervisory board of Ottakringer Getränke AG, the former employer of today’s SRS managing director Alfred Hudler, and moved to the supervisory board of Ottakringer Holding AG, the main shareholder of Ottakringer Getränke AG, in 2020. Hudler was CEO at Ottakringer until 2022. After the announcement of
Speaking of politics - Johann Riegler still sees here the lever with which a change in the development at the Spanish Riding School could be brought about. “If someone from the government doesn’t get up, then I no longer see any chances that you will find someone who will get this back on track.”
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Don’t forget
Let’s not forget that a rider from the Escola in Portugal successfully competes at the highest level
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Ok, that’s one.
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And she learned from Karl that some people are untrustworthy.
Um, nope. Women were pilots decades before that, and a former riding student of mine became the first female F-14 Tomkat fighter pilot in 1994. (call sign Vixen)
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While it is distressing how many of their most experienced riders and leaders have left, to be fair this picture was from 2003. I think many or most organizations would expect to have a fair amount of turnover in twenty years, especially in roles that require a strong degree of physical fitness as well as knowledge and experience. However, the % of those leaving due to firing or suspension is certainly not typical.
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