I have to agree that the levade when classically done is not only difficult but absolutely beautiful !!! Hausi, I have a question for you on the courbette. I recently saw a "school of equitation" team from Minorca performing what appeared at first to be the courbette on their black stallions. It looked very impressive but then they were walking them and not jumping. Can you enlighten me on this please. ps, I hope Dusseldorf is going well for all involved.
I must admit Hausi it did look very strange indeed ! I had never seen it done before. The audience in the arena were whooping it up. Maybe it's time for the SRS on their next UK tour to return to Manchester and remind them how its really done; slow, precise, classical and beautiful. :)
For me, I think for the Courbette, it would be very hard to stay on the horse. I would either slide right off on the first jump or be clinging so hard to his neck, you would have to pry my fingers off his neck. The Levade looks easier to sit on, but extremely hard to get right. When you at the SRS perform these jumps, you make it look effortless, using almost invisible aids.
The movements in Menorca which you described, (walking on the backlegs in an upright position) is very traditional. It belongs to the equestrian culture of this Balear island, but has really nothing to do with a classical courbette, as shown by traditional ridingschools !! They do not even have the intention to jump a courbette. The way the local people present this movement with their local black Menorquin-horses is just part of their culture. (And very dangerous, because it is traditionally shown within a crowd of people, during traditional festivals)
Somehow Atjan I knew you would have the answer there - Thankyou ! :) It was quite the spectacle seeing the stallions on their rear legs walking forwards but I prefer the grace, elegance and sheer power of my classical white beauties in Wien !
In the 1st year Ragyogo1 came to live here on this little mountain in Wales, when riding her out, I strongly suspected she'd either done nothing other than menage & road work ,,, or had forgotten how to look after herself & rider when the terrain was anything other than flat.
She was so careless - tripping over even low level obsticles & feeling very unbalanced at any undulation of ground such as on the tracks on the mountain.
There was no reason to suspect that there was any other reason for these occurances such as foot, leg or eye problems only my thoughs regarding her past work.
While hacking a mountain track in the early days, I spotted a little plastic bottle on the track ahead of us.
I could have chosen to ride her round it but knew she'd got to learn &/or remember how to look after herself & her rider so chose to keep her walking forwards & towards it aware that she was very likely to touch it with her foot & that if she did so it would move & she might be startled by it & panic!
And what an amazing magical moment occured!
Silly inexperienced Lipizzan human that I was then, I'd presumed that if she was startled by the consequence of touching the bottle, she'd panic & try to run away from or sidestep it but I was wrong.
Whilst she was definately startled & alarmed as the bottle spun in front of her, she didn't try to run away or attempt to step sideways but elegantly sank back onto her haunches & lifted her forehand clear off the ground & held herself there till the bottle stopped spinning & then gently with as much control & a snort, lowered herself to the ground & walked on when I asked her to.
The power I felt under me was astounding & unforgettable!
I've never trained to such levels so am under no illusion that I caused this amazing experience to happen through my riding abilities - I simply rode her forwards & kept bit contact & legs equally applied hoping my aides were correct enough that she'd not feel she could avoid any threat she perceived & the experience I anticipated would help her remember to "look where she was going" & it did!
With our member & with my dear friend Bobby's help & knowledgable understanding of Lipizzaners, his experience of liberty work with them & his training under Charles Harris he & she & have taught me so much about Lipizzaners & helped me understand the undoubted fact that they are "different" ~ what a joy, task master & equine friend they can be!
Some friends and I were discussing the 'airs above the ground' , but found we could not agree on some things.
All airs are difficult! The Levade is very difficult when classically done, but less spectacular. The most spectacular is the Courbette.
AntwortenLöschenI have to agree that the levade when classically done is not only difficult but absolutely beautiful !!!
AntwortenLöschenHausi, I have a question for you on the courbette. I recently saw a "school of equitation" team from Minorca performing what appeared at first to be the courbette on their black stallions. It looked very impressive but then they were walking them and not jumping. Can you enlighten me on this please.
ps, I hope Dusseldorf is going well for all involved.
When horses walk in the Courbette it's not classically done. I even wouldn't call it a courbette then, I would call it rearing and walking.
AntwortenLöschenI must admit Hausi it did look very strange indeed ! I had never seen it done before. The audience in the arena were whooping it up. Maybe it's time for the SRS on their next UK tour to return to Manchester and remind them how its really done; slow, precise, classical and beautiful. :)
AntwortenLöschenFor me, I think for the Courbette, it would be very hard to stay on the horse. I would either slide right off on the first jump or be clinging so hard to his neck, you would have to pry my fingers off his neck. The Levade looks easier to sit on, but extremely hard to get right. When you at the SRS perform these jumps, you make it look effortless, using almost invisible aids.
AntwortenLöschenThe movements in Menorca which you described, (walking on the backlegs in an upright position) is very traditional. It belongs to the equestrian culture of this Balear island, but has really nothing to do with a classical courbette, as shown by traditional ridingschools !! They do not even have the intention to jump a courbette. The way the local people present this movement with their local black Menorquin-horses is just part of their culture. (And very dangerous, because it is traditionally shown within a crowd of people, during traditional festivals)
AntwortenLöschenSomehow Atjan I knew you would have the answer there - Thankyou ! :) It was quite the spectacle seeing the stallions on their rear legs walking forwards but I prefer the grace, elegance and sheer power of my classical white beauties in Wien !
AntwortenLöschenLevade - equine self defence to a threat?
AntwortenLöschenIn the 1st year Ragyogo1 came to live here on this little mountain in Wales, when riding her out, I strongly suspected she'd either done nothing other than menage & road work ,,, or had forgotten how to look after herself & rider when the terrain was anything other than flat.
She was so careless - tripping over even low level obsticles & feeling very unbalanced at any undulation of ground such as on the tracks on the mountain.
There was no reason to suspect that there was any other reason for these occurances such as foot, leg or eye problems only my thoughs regarding her past work.
While hacking a mountain track in the early days, I spotted a little plastic bottle on the track ahead of us.
I could have chosen to ride her round it but knew she'd got to learn &/or remember how to look after herself & her rider so chose to keep her walking forwards & towards it aware that she was very likely to touch it with her foot & that if she did so it would move & she might be startled by it & panic!
And what an amazing magical moment occured!
Silly inexperienced Lipizzan human that I was then, I'd presumed that if she was startled by the consequence of touching the bottle, she'd panic & try to run away from or sidestep it but I was wrong.
Whilst she was definately startled & alarmed as the bottle spun in front of her, she didn't try to run away or attempt to step sideways but elegantly sank back onto her haunches & lifted her forehand clear off the ground & held herself there till the bottle stopped spinning & then gently with as much control & a snort, lowered herself to the ground & walked on when I asked her to.
The power I felt under me was astounding & unforgettable!
I've never trained to such levels so am under no illusion that I caused this amazing experience to happen through my riding abilities - I simply rode her forwards & kept bit contact & legs equally applied hoping my aides were correct enough that she'd not feel she could avoid any threat she perceived & the experience I anticipated would help her remember to "look where she was going" & it did!
With our member & with my dear friend Bobby's help & knowledgable understanding of Lipizzaners, his experience of liberty work with them & his training under Charles Harris he & she & have taught me so much about Lipizzaners & helped me understand the undoubted fact that they are "different" ~ what a joy, task master & equine friend they can be!