The Spanish Riding School in Vienna - perfect equestrian ballet

Watching a performance of  the traditional equestrian ballet at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna is one of those things in life you never forget:

 

 

Here is some interesting background on equestrian ballet:

 

The development of the ballet proper begins in the 16th century with medieval mounted contests of martial skill being influenced by three other factors. The first is an allegorical ideal: tournaments began to be fought for the reputation of one's city, or for the beauty of a lady, etc. The second is the increased use of spectacle. A procession to show off one's sumptuous clothing assumed enormous proportions in accordance with the fictional framework. The "mostra," as they were known, thus became as important as the combat. The third element is the introduction of dressage and the Baroque ideal of raising the horse to a work of art through equitation, by combining complex movements to form a picture of flowing grace. The dressage training itself generally took place in an indoor manege or riding hall, where the horse was taught the haute ecole. The high school movements, or airs above the ground, are now only taught at the Cavalry School in Saumur in France, and at the Spanish Riding School. With the mixing of these new elements, the medieval tournament developed into a new type of equestrian festivity, the carrousel, which Watanaby-O'Kelley describes as such:

A carrousel thus consisted of a procession with floats, horsemen, footmen, and musicians usually divided into groups called quadrilles, of recited or sung speeches, of a mock combat with pre-ordained outcome and/or of competitions involving running at the ring or at the quintain. (Watanaby-O'Kelley 205)

The final refinement was added in the second half of the 16th century: the equestrian ballet. Von Holleuffer describes it in the following passage:

Equestrian ballet (la Foule, from the Italian, la Fola) is an exercise where several riders on horseback perform various figures to the sound of instruments. This exercise was also invented by the Italians, who decorated their carousels with a great many inventions, which produced a surprising yet pleasing performance.

For this exercise, well-trained, perfectly schooled horses and very talented, skillful riders are challenged, because of the difficulty, to observe the regularity of the ground, and to preserve the horse's training, position, and rhythm of the gaits.