I’m surprised by the height limit. That’s under 5’ 6". Are the men all really that short?
I wonder if they put lifts in their boots. LOL.
Personally, I would have loved the idea but wouldn’t have done it when I was of age. Oddly, I think when I was around 30, I would have been better prepared for it and would have considered it.
[QUOTE=Elegante E;3592210]
I’m surprised by the height limit. That’s under 5’ 6". Are the men all really that short?
I wonder if they put lifts in their boots. LOL.
Personally, I would have loved the idea but wouldn’t have done it when I was of age. Oddly, I think when I was around 30, I would have been better prepared for it and would have considered it.[/QUOTE]
Lipizzaners run 14.3hh to 15.2hh at the school, with the airs horses being the smallest. The largest are used for Quadrille riding.
That’s probably why there are height restrictions.
Eileen
obviously (to my family at least!) it is no longer an option. the closest I ever got to the SRS was the Philly performance when, to my great delight, a last-minute need for handicapped access following surgery placed us directly behind the honorees! fantastic seats!
HOWEVER…(many decades ago) at the age of 17, I was a certified wierd person whose only friends had four legs and most of them whinnied; read no boyfriend, no other interests, no real life. my parents would have supported it - my adverturous mom had been a Navy WAVE in WW11 - and I was from a Gerrman background and spoke German. and all I ever wanted to do in life was breathe in “horse”, any way I could get it. I dreamed of waking up as an Austrian boy so I could qualify! (sigh!..)
you bet your bippy I’d have gone if given the chance. and loved every minute of it and never ever left. I’d have been there till I died.
but that was then, this is now…not a chance
I woulda done it then, I would do it now and the only thing is my way is the European thing and the ligual issue (the fact that I am not even close to fluent in German). I’d learn it though… I live and breath dressage anyway! I love the physical work… BRING IT!
Since we’re talking hypothetically, I wouldn’t join the SRS today but I would definitely go back and study with Johann Meixner, Oberbereiter Lindenbauer and Col. Hans Handler. :yes:
I would have done it in a heartbeat!!! In fact, I investigaed the possibility when I was around 18. I was told flat out - NO WOMEN!!! I didn’t even get to the other qualifications. I certainly would have gone and worked my a$$ off and stayed there for life if they would have let me. I grew up working in a very, very, very good public riding stable working 12 hour days, 7 days a week, doing hard physical labor and all chores and seriously thought the day wasn’t long enough. HA!!! Now, at 65, I get to audit clinics with Kottas.
That would have been such a grand opportunity. Heck the only thing I could qualify for now is the height. Now I’m too old, family, yada yada. :no:
it’s making me sad reading about how all of our youthful dreams didn’t come true! Of course i’m sure we’ve all had great experiences that we never would have had if we had been in the Spanish Riding School. However, it really makes we wish there could be some kind of American Riding School. It wouldn’t matter what breed of horse they used, but it could be a place where lucky and dedicated riders could be trained without a financial commitment on their part. I wonder how we could start such a school??? :sadsmile:
[QUOTE=Elegante E;3592210]
I’m surprised by the height limit. That’s under 5’ 6". Are the men all really that short?
I wonder if they put lifts in their boots. LOL.
QUOTE]
Trust me, the members of the spanish riding school that I know are nowhere near that short!
On topic, I actually could apply, however, I don’t want to. I’ld have to give up riding my horse, which is something I’m not interested in.
If I met all the requirements I would do it. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be in the SRS. Too bad I didn’t meet the requirements then.
I think they might be expecting candidates to grow more after being in the school, so the height requirement would be to keep them from being too much taller than the other riders. I know there have been riders close to 6’ tall, and I believe most of the riders now are over 5’6".
The question was - would YOU join? Not what do you assume others would do or not do. So…would YOU join SLC?
As for me - Youbetcha!
[QUOTE=Dressurfan;3590484]
So the two young ladies have sucessfully completed their first month as the first female Eleves at the Spanish Riding School. My question to everyone for discussion is this: would you try out to join the Spanish riding school if you were age 17-21 right now? Why or why not? :)[/QUOTE]
You know, it sounds kind of cool - like a horsey Hogwarts, right? But really, I am too lazy and change my interests too often to be suitable. But I think it’s cool that these old traditions are kept alive.
I would have in a second back then.
Now, too old… and…
Body height should not exceed 170cm; in relation to the upper body, the legs should appear long .A slim physique is required
Even at my skinniest, and very low fat-to-muscle ratio, I will never be slim, nor will my legs appear long :sigh:
I ride in something very close to it, a classical school with expectations beyond the pale. It is not always fun. Well, it’s hardly ever fun. :uhoh: Fulfilling? Yes, in the long run. But frustrating and damn freaking hard much of the time. Most of the time. Mostly because I DON’T fulfill the physical requirements of a rider. It takes more than dedication, discipline & desire, it takes some degree of talent & skill too. :sadsmile: If it were all about dedication, discipline and desire, I’d’ve been FEI about a decade ago. 
I definitely would! Such an opportunity!
Would I join? No. Realistically? No. Fantasy wise? Yes.
While I have always been very passionate about horses, I knew even has a young teen that I would never have the drive or the talent to be a professional. I have always lived my life with a eye to the horses as a hobby. At no point would I have committed my life to the SRS.
As a forty-something adult looking back, I made the absolute right choices for me - I have no regrets that I had a great career and a family, and that my riding will always be second, or third to something else. Horses are a really important part of my life, but not the epicenter.
Kudos, though to anyone who is that dedicated! There’s nothing wrong with choosing to dedicate your life to horses, or choosing to dedicate your life to your family, and have horses on the side. I think our individual happiness lies in the “choosing” bit. If you get to choose, I imagine you are more likely to be happy than someone who has had to pursue a life based not on their own choices. :yes:
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