2015 is a special year for the Spanish Riding School, since this world-famous institution is celebrating its 450th anniversary. In September 1565, a document was issued mentioning an amount of 100 guilders “for the erection of the Thumblplatz in the Castle Gardens here”. This open-air riding and tournament arena immediately next to the Vienna Hofburg was the precursor of the Spanish Riding School – today the only institution in the world that for 450 years has lived and cultivated the High School of Classical Horsemanship in the Renaissance tradition.
The tradition of training and riding goes back to the teachings of the Greek general Xenophon around 400 BC. Even today, this knowledge is passed on orally from experienced chief riders to the cadets. A good chief rider is one who can train the horses and convey his knowledge as a teacher. It is in this way that the quality is maintained and the Riding School preserves this unique cultural heritage as a living tradition for which this institution enjoys a worldwide reputation.
The Lipizzaner horses themselves are one of the world’s most significant cultural assets, since this, the oldest European cultural horse breed can boast over 400 years of breeding history. Archduke Karl II founded the Imperial Stud Farm on the karst near the village of Lipica (today in Slovenia) in 1580. Over the following centuries, the Habsburg monarchs bred a new horse breed from Spanish horses which ideally fulfilled the representative requirements at the baroque court.
The best stallions were selected for Vienna. Refined through years of training in the Riding School, they became an indispensable part of life at court. The “Karst Imperial Stud Farm” was the private stud farm of the Austrian Imperial family from 1580 to 1915. In 1920, the valuable part of the original herd remaining in Austria was trans- ferred to the Styrian village of Piber, roughly 45 km west of Graz. It is here that today the direct descendants of the old imperial herd are bred. The name Lipizzaner, incidentally, first became common in the early 19th century, until when these horses had been known as “Spanish karst horses”, a reference to their noble Spanish blood.
The main functions of the Spanish Riding School and the Styria stud farm in Piber include the breeding of the classical Lipizzaners, the training of the stallions accord- ing to the principles of Classical Horsemanship and the training of suitable chief riders.
On the occasion of the anniversary year, a number of glittering festivities are to be held in 2015. The absolute highlight will be a gala performance on Heldenplatz in the inner city of Vienna in front of the presidential chancellery at the end of June. Alongside the “airs above the ground”, this unique event will also present “work in hand” and “work on the long reign”, a magnificent solo and a pas de deux, which also decorates the commemorative stamp. These celebrations will be followed by the 6th Fête Impériale, the traditional summer ball of the Spanish Riding School.
Technical Details
Issue Date: 26.06.2015
Designer: Marion Füllerer
Illustrator: Micharl Rzepa (photo)
Printer: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei GmbH
Process: Offset
Colours: 4 Colours
Size: 42 x 42 mm
Values: EUR 0.80
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.