The Spanish Riding School in Vienna

The oldest riding school in the world

The Spanish Riding School is the oldest existing riding school in the world. The term ‘Spanish’ derives from the Iberian Peninsula, home to the breed of horse considered to be elegant and docile and therefore suitable for classical riding in the 16th century.

In 1580 Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria (1540-1590) founded the Lipica stud farm in modern-day Slovenia, which he equipped with horses imported from Spain. These horses, which came to be known as Lipizzaner, have been bred in Piber in Styria since 1920.

In around 1680 Emperor Leopold I had a first, wooden riding hall built, but this was damaged during the second Turkish Siege in 1683 and subsequently torn down. Emperor Charles VI was the first to concern himself with construction plans for another riding school. The building was completed in 1735 by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (1693-1742), based on plans by his father, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723). It has been maintained in its original form and is thought to be the most beautiful riding hall in the world.

The Spanish Riding School has existed in its present form since the 19th century; originally it served to train the imperial family rather than being a public institution. The 72 Lipizzaner stallions used in the famed riding displays, live on the ground floor of the Stable Palace. The most difficult manoeuvres of classical riding are demonstrated at these displays, for example the capriole, originally a defence technique from the 15th century, in which the horse springs forward and kicks its hind legs back at the height of the jump.