The Spanish Riding School of Vienna
The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is the only riding academy in the world
wich has been cultivating the art of equitation in its purest form for over 400
years and wich trains both horses and riders according to methods which have
been used for centruries, most of them through word of mouth alone. The art of
classical equitation goes back to antiquity; it was first discoverd in Italy and
flourished in Spain, England and France and is now cherished and cultivated at
the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
The classical art of equitation flourished in all lands where men regarded
horses as their equals in nobility and grace. The art of equitation is not the
exclusive property of one nation or of one people, no matter which country
happens to be the guardian of its tradtition at any given time, and the Spanish
Riding School in Vienna cultivates this tradtition as a duty towards the rest of
the world. Some may wonder whether, during an age in which man is capable of
landing on the moon, the School is not something of an anachronism, but there
are two very good answers to that - art and breeding, in whichever order one
cares to put them.
Which comes first - art or breeding - is not so important; man and beast
become fused into a single artistic manifestation. Yet the nobility of art is
inextricably linked with nobility of breeding. The one complements and
embellishes the other; the heritage of the past is the promise of the future.
Everything comes full circle. The stallion, who has proved his worth at the
School returns to the stud to pass on his noble blood, his strength and his
talent and cedes his place to a younger one. And the men at the School are
themselves subject to these same laws; each of them is one in a long line of all
those who have faithfully handed on a great heritage. And it is our duty to
ensure that this same heritage is passed on, in time-honoured form, to the
generations to come.
Dr. Jaromir Oulehla
Director
Federal Stud of Piber - Spanish Riding School
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