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The Spanish Riding School of Vienna
Spanish Riding School Insights

Variations on the Vienna Performance
by John D'Addamio

Now that I have finished outlining the most frequently performed Spanish Riding School program, we can talk about the short program and the variations used for galas and tours. First, let's consider the short program.

The short program lasts about 30 minutes. To cut the time down to 30 minutes, several sections of the long performance are eliminated. These include the Young Stallions, the Pas de Deux, and the Long Rein solo. But, we're still not down to 30 minutes! The Work in Hand and Airs above the Ground sections are combined. Necessarily, there are fewer horses than would appear in Work in Hand and Airs above the Ground separately. Typically, there are 3 or 4 horses showing airs above the ground in hand and a similar number doing airs with a rider in the saddle.

As in the long performance, the Steps and Movements of the Classical School has 4 horses showing all the high school movements, piaffe, passage, flying changes, lateral work, etc. The School Quadrille has 8 horses but it is shortened to about 12 minutes by eliminating some movements.

When the Spanish Riding School goes on tour, they also have to modify the long performance. They do not take the young horses on tour, so the performance begins with the Steps and Movements of the Classical School section. The program continues in the same order as the Vienna long performance through the Long Rein solo.

After the Long Rein solo, there is a section with the simple title "The Steps and Movements of the Classical School, Part Two." The title does not really do justice to the subject! It is a solo performance. Think Grand Prix Kür but with only the curb reins and no whip! This solo is performed by a Chief Rider. He takes both curb reins in the left hand. The snaffle reins are dropped on the pommel of the saddle. The whip is held upright in the right hand. Paul Belasik, American dressage trainer and author, claims that the symbolism is obvious: the rider does not need the reins or the whip. The late Director of the Spanish Riding School, Alois Podhajsky, maintained that this solo was the ultimate display of a rider's skill and lightness.

The choreography of the solo varies with the horse, rider, and sometimes the performance so I won't describe it in detail. The last solo I saw was performed by First Chief Rider Krzisch and Siglavy Mantua I on their USA tour 2005. Since First Chief Rider Krzisch and Siglavy Mantua I did the solo for about 15 years, we were fortunate enough to have seen them on other occasions too. The exercises we saw Krzisch and Mantua do in various solos include: shoulder-in to half school followed by full arena half pass, canter and trot zigzag like that in the FEI Grand Prix tests, piaffe and full pirouettes in piaffe, canter half pass to center line interrupted by a full canter pirouette before continuing in half pass to the opposite wall, half pass in passage, flying changes of canter lead every other stride and every stride on the centerline. Were there other canter pirouettes? Sure! Not just singles, not just double pirouettes but two and a half! Their finale was frequently a passage down centerline. Krzisch would transfer the whip from his right hand to his left with the curb reins and salute in passage. After the salute, they would make a half pirouette in piaffe, make a transition to passage and passage down the centerline, exiting the arena at A. They were so amazing that even people who know absolutely nothing about dressage appreciated the beauty and sophistication of their performances.

Gala performances by the School may be in the "regular" long format with Young Stallions or the "tour" format with a solo rather than Young Stallions. An example of the regular format gala was "Symphony in White" , a made-for-TV gala, made circa 1992. In this show, the Riders of the School performed with a live orchestra rather than the usual recorded music but the performance was the regular format. In November of 1992, there was a fire in the Hofburg Palace. The Spanish Riding School facilities are part of the palace complex. With the help of citizens passing by, the horses were evacuated to the safety of the nearby Volksgarten (People's Garden). The School was not on fire but suffered a lot of water damage while the fire fighters were putting out the fire in adjacent buildings. So, the School was closed for repairs. When they reopened, they gave a gala performance honoring the citizens who helped evacuate the horses. This gala was in the "tour" format with a one handed solo by First Chief Rider Krzisch and Siglavy Mantua I. There are many videos and even an IMAX film about t he School which show highlights of a performance. But, those two videos are the only ones I have ever seen where an entire performance was shown. If you ever see a copy of either one, buy it!

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