2011 tour dates for Spanish Riding School announced--London's Wembley Arena

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna announce their 60th international tour due to start in 2011 and with only three London dates – tickets for this exclusive event, to be held at Wembley Arena in November 2011 are the “must have” Christmas gift for this year.

 
Excitement builds for new Spanish Riding School tour


It is five years since the majestic, highly trained horses and riders of the 430 year old “High School for Classical Horsemanship” have graced the halls of the UK. Their last tour sold out within days as the opportunity to see the scholars of the Winter Riding School based in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna is a rare occurrence.


Their new show titled “Imperial Dream” sees an impressive display of classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the haute école.


Visitors to the world famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna thrill in the absolute balance and harmony achieved by these beautiful White Lipizzaner stallions and their regal riders. Famed for their in-hand work and movements above the ground such as the Capriole, Levade and Courbette the Imperial Dream Show will feature all the classics but with a difference….


In keeping with their Austrian heritage the addition of live orchestral music and dance will add another dimension to this breathtaking extravaganza. Incredibly moving, highly sophisticated and full of the glamour of Imperial Vienna this is one ticket that lovers of horses and the arts won’t want to miss out on.


The Imperial Dream by the Spanish Riding School, Wembley Arena, London:


Friday 25th Nov 2011 – 8pm
Saturday 26th Nov 2011 – 8pm
Sunday 27th Nov 2011 – 3pm.


Tickets go on sale at 9am on Wednesday 17th November priced at £65, £55, £35 & £25 (subject to booking fee) and are available from www.livenation.co.uk


For VIP packages or Hospitality go to www.LiveNationExperience.co.uk or +44 (0)207 009 3484 

little film

Hello friends i got a youtube film here and i want to know what you think of it, im seeing things and i wanne know if im correct

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds8M914pBHU&feature=player_embedded

Clinic in Nieuwekerk aan den Ijssel, Netherlands

Start:	Nov 13, '10
End:	Nov 14, '10
Location:	"Mearas Stables"

Dressage-clinic at Thamar Gotthjalpsen

Green Energy Made in Piber

State of the art biogas plant facilitates renewable energy – a stimulus for a whole region

On September 10th, 2010 the start of a new era for renewable energy was heralded by the presentation of a state of the art biogas plant located at the foot of the Federal Stud Piber. The plant which is to be completed by spring 2011 by the Styrian Company Grünkraft will heat the baroque castle of Piber and simultaneously produce enough electricity to provide for more than 722 households.

With this innovation the stud’s daily accumulated horse dung will be ecologically utilized and produce renewable energy. Cooperation with 60 farms will additionally ensure the sufficient supply of the plant. Additionally the biogas plant can heat more than 25 households with its heat loss – thermal output which is not only ecofriendly but also future-oriented.

Subsequently the electricity produced by the power plant will be fed into the public mains. Both Federal Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich and Elisabeth Gürtler welcome the Spanish Riding School’s innovative move and emphasize the importance of such plants for the ecofriendly production of energy.

Federal Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich: “This project has 2 pleasing aspects: as Minister of the Environment this biogas plant is a further step towards ecologically producing energy. As the representative of the Austrian Republic in the Spanish Riding School this project is the ideal symbiosis between modern sustainable management and tradition.”

Managing Director Elisabeth Gürtler: „This new project not only offers positive environmental aspects but also enables us to save costs which is imperative given the difficult economic situation of the Spanish Riding School.”

--------------------

„Grüne Energie made in Piber“

Erneuerbare Energie dank moderner Biogasanlage – Impulse für eine ganze Region

Mit der am 10. September 2010 erfolgten Projektpräsentation einer hochmodernen Biogasanlage am Fuße des Bundesgestüts Piber wird eine neue Ära im Bereich der grünen Energiegewinnung eingeläutet. Die Anlage, die bis zum Frühjahr 2011 vom steirischen Anbieter Grünkraft errichtet werden soll, wird dann das barocke Schloss Piber beheizen und erzeugt parallel dazu eine Strommenge, die mehr als 722 Haushalte versorgen könnte.

Durch diese Innovation wird der täglich anfallende Pferdemist des Gestüts ökologisch sinnvoll verwertet und erneuerbare Energie produziert werden. Eine neue Zusammenarbeit mit 60 Landwirtschaftsbetrieben wird die Belieferung der Anlage sicherstellen. Zusätzlich zur Stromproduktion kann die Biogasanlage mit ihrer Abwärme mehr als 25 Haushalte beheizen – eine thermische Leistung, die absolut umweltfreundlich und zukunftsorientiert ist.

Der produzierte Strom des Kraftwerks wird im Anschluss in das öffentliche Netz eingespeist. Bundesminister DI Niki Berlakovich und Dkfm. Elisabeth Gürtler begrüßen diesen innovativen Schritt, den die Spanische Hofreitschule in die Zukunft unternehmen will und unterstreichen die hohe Bedeutung einer derartigen Anlage zur umweltfreundlichen Energiegewinnung.

BM DI Niki Berlakovich: “Ich freue mich zweifach über dieses Projekt. Als Umweltminister sehe ich diese Biogasanlage als weiteren wichtigen Schritt in Richtung Ökologisierung der Energiegewinnung. In meiner Funktion als Eigentümervertreter der “Spanischen” gelingt mit diesem Projekt eine ideale Symbiose zwischen moderner nachhaltiger Unternehmensführung und Traditionsbetrieb.”

Generaldirektorin Dkfm. Elisabeth Gürtler: „Neben den positiven Umweltaspekten gelingt uns mit diesem Projekt auch eine erhebliche Kosteneinsparung, was angesichts der schwierigen wirtschaftlichen Situation der Spanischen Hofreitschule von großer Bedeutung ist.“

FT Article "The Beastliness of Modern Art"

Here is a link to a Financial Times Art article that I thought this group might find interesting. It discusses the associations of animals in contemporary art and focuses a good deal on the depiction of horses. 

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/bff94af8-d7e0-11df-b044-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss

Here is a quote from the section about Stubbs.

“There were many sporting painters but only George Stubbs transcended the genre by delivering pictures in which horses and men were virtual peers. Stubbs changed the nature of the genre from equestrian portraits to horse portraiture. The secret of his success lay in his unparalleled mastery of equine body language: the flare of a nostril, the widening of an eye, the accurate fixing of gait and stance. Stubbs was the first to realise that, hitherto, equine representation had been conforming to templates supplied largely by the Renaissance; and that freshly exacting anatomical study, a scientific accumulation of empirical information, was the condition of individualising his subjects; of making not just horse portraits but something like equine genre paintings.

It was only by being a true anatomist, which is to say, using death to inform the trick of life, that Stubbs could produce The Anatomy of the Horse (1766), the masterpiece that made his name and fortune. Subjects would be brought to his attic studio where he would hang them in a complicated harness-contraption from the ceiling and then methodically and slowly bleed them to death, injecting the veins and arteries with tallow to painstakingly preserve their external appearance through the skin. Eventually he would proceed to a flaying and thence to a careful, systematic dissection. What a Gothic romance! It was only from this shocking, protracted intimacy in which love and death were bloodily commingled, that Stubbs was able to liberate the horse from its confinement in the conventions of equestrian studies and reconstruct the pure animal as though never saddled: creating what were, in effect, equestrian nudes such as “Whistlejacket” (1762) or fantasies of entire families of mares and foals gathered together in some imaginary glade like a school of Houynhyms “

 

Westphalen Memorial

Westphalen Memorial--(englisch)
Thomas Ritter

    I found a very interesting description of a competition that was held 100 years ago. This gives you an idea of how the skills of the rider and the quality of the horse’s training can be assessed in a way that eliminates trick training and drilling memorized test patterns. This competition was incredibly difficult, but it provides interesting food for thought about how to make competitions again more about training than breeds, fads, fashions, or anything else. This forms an especially interesting contrast to this day and age where some Olympic horses can’t stop or walk anymore out of tension.

    Colonel Felix Bürkner was the last director of the famous cavalry riding school in Hannover. He was one of the leading competitors in Germany – and one of the true masters of classical dressage – in the early 20th century. Together with colonel Hans von Heydebreck, Bürkner held the first certification exams for professional trainers. He was a firm believer in a well rounded education for both horse and rider and rode his horses regularly over fences and behind the hounds in fox hunts.

    In his autobiography, he describes a very sophisticated and difficult competition for military officers that took three days, in which practically all the skills of the rider were evaluated. Bürkner won this competition several years in a row.

    Felix Bürkner, Ein Reiterleben, 1957:

    "Only two weeks after my arrival at my regiment, I took my two horses, the
Trakehner Romeo and the Thoroughbred mare Iokaste to the May tournament in Berlin to participate in the Grand Prix for officers, the “Westphalen-Memorial”, for which His Majesty the Emperor had donated the prize of honor. …

    This test comprised all areas of riding and consisted of:

       1. A dressage test with one’s own horse,

       2. Change of these horses and riding of the unknown horses in a called dressage test,

       3. Correction of disobedient and spoilt horses in an arena that had been cordoned off by lances. Here, called tests had to be ridden as well, and obedience jumps had to be taken, such as a white grate, one meter wide, one meter high, against the sun and towards a bright red umbrella that was being opened and closed. The time limit of one minute was checked with a stopwatch, and exceeding this limit was penalized with disqualification.

       4. Riding of unknown school horses in called high school movements which were provided by the imperial stable and Kommissionsrat Stensbeck. On Ten Drugi I had to show piaffe and passage including transitions, as well as à tempo changes in the collected canter on the volte,

       5. A hunt-style jumping parcours with an evaluation of the jumping style. In the parcours, a narrow board across a wide water-filled ditch and jumping across a pasture fence into a lake. …

       6. Equestrian games (jeu de rose) on polo horses,

       7. Evaluation of all the races the participant had won up to this point, - the more wins, the higher the points.

    This solemn test lasted for three days, …

Westphalen Memorial--(deutsch)


Ich habe eine sehr interessante Beschreibung eines Turniers gefunden, das vor 100 Jahren gehalten wurde. Man bekommt einen guten Eindruck davon wie man die Fertigkeiten des Reiters und die Qualität der Ausbildung des Pferdes auf eine Weise testen kann, die Trickreiterei und das Drillen von auswendiggelernten Aufgaben eliminiert. Dieser Wettbewerb war unglaublich schwierig, aber er kann interessante Denkanstöße geben wie man auf Turnieren wieder die Ausbildung mehr in den Mittelpunkt rücken kann, gegenüber Rassen, kurzsichtigen Trends,
Modeerscheinungen usw. Er bildet einen interessanten Kontrast zur heutigen
Dressurreiterei, wo manche Olympiapferde nicht mehr halten oder Schritt gehen
können, weil sie so gespannt sind.

Oberst Felix Bürkner war der letzte Direktor der berühmten Kavallerieschule in
Hannover. Er war einer der führenden Turnierreiter in Deutschland – und ein wahrer Meister der klassischen Reitkunst – im frühen 20. Jahrhundert. Zusammen mit Oberst Hans von Heydebreck hielt Bürkner die ersten Reitlehrerprüfungen für Berufsreiter. Er war ein Verfechter einer vielseitigen Ausbildung für Reiter und Pferd und ritt seine Pferde regelmäßig über Hindernisse und in Fuchsjagden hinter der Meute.

In seiner Autobiographie beschreibt er ein äußerst schwieriges und anspruchsvolles Turnier für Offiziere, welches drei Tage lang dauerte und in dem praktisch alle Fertigkeiten des Reiters getestet wurden. Bürkner gewann dieses Turnier mehrere Jahre hintereinander.

Felix Bürkner, Ein Reiterleben, 1957:

“Schon zweieinhalb Wochen nach meinem Antritt beim Regiment fuhr ich mit meinen beiden Pferden, dem Ostpreußen Romeo und der Vollblutstute Iokaste zum Maiturnier nach Berlin, um mich an der großen Reiterprüfung für Offiziere, dem
„Westphalen-Memorial“, zu beteiligen, zu dem S.M. der Kaiser den Ehrenpreis für den Sieger gestiftet hatte. …

Diese Prüfung umfaßte alle Gebiete der Reiterei und bestand:

   1. Aus einem dressurmäßigen Vorreiten des eigenen Pferdes,

   2. Wechsel dieser Pferde und Vorreiten der unbekannten Pferde in einer
kommandierten Dressuraufgabe,

   3. Korrektur unrittiger und verdorbener Pferde auf einem mit Lanzen abgesteckten Viereck, auf demebenfalls angesagte Aufgaben zu erfüllen sowie
Gehorsamshindernisse zu springen waren wie beispielsweise ein weißes Gitter, ein
Meter breit, ein Meter hoch – gegen die Sonne und einen grellroten Sonnenschirm, der auf und zu geklappt wurde, wobei die hierfür festgesetzte Minutenzeit nach der Stopuhr kontrolliert wurde und nicht überschritten werden durfte, sonst Disqualifikation.

   4. Vorreiten von uns bisher unbekannten Schulpferden in angesagten Lektionen der hohen Schule, welche hierfür der kaiserliche Marstall und der Kommissionsrat
Stensbeck zur Verfügung gestellt hatten. Auf Ten Drugi mußte ich Piaffe und Passage mit Übergängen sowie à tempo Wechsel im versammelten Galopp auf der Volte zeigen,

   5. Absolvierung eines jagdmäßigen Parcours unter gleichzeitiger Bewertung des
Stils. Im Parcours ein schmaler Laufsteg über einen breiten Wassergraben und
Hineinspringen in einen See über ein Koppelrick hinweg. Da ich beides in flüssigem
Galopp mit Romeo schaffte, holte ich mir viele Zeitpunkte,

   6. Gewandtheitsspiele (jeu de rose) auf Polopferden,

   7. Bewertung aller bis zu diesem Tage im Leben gewonnenen Rennen, - je mehr,des to mehr Pluspunkte.

Diese feierliche Prüfung nahm drei Tage in Anspruch,...

Eleve Hannah Zeitlhofer

Hannah Zeitlhofer, our female eleve at the Spanish Riding School, made it today for the public performance! She rode a young stallion and did an outstanding job!

I'm proud of the school, the riders and Hannah!

Spanische Hofreitschule Foto's III

Autumn Festival at Piber Stud

A photo series in the Kleine Zeitung of the Herbstparade in Gestüt Piber last Saturday:

http://www.kleinezeitung.at/steiermark/voitsberg/multimedia.do?action=showEntry_detail&project=37140&id=125428

Is that a pas de trois with Herren Bachinger, Bauer and Bacher?! 

Did anyone attend?

FEI Dressage Committee Puts Forward Proposed Changes for Judging System

Following the FEI Dressage Committee meeting in Mannheim on 27 and 28 August, the Committee has put forward proposed changes for the judging system to be presented at the upcoming FEI General Assembly in Taipei (1-6 November).

The proposals are based on several pilot studies that took place during the 2010 season and feedback from within the sport. They are the result of detailed analysis of the fitness for purpose of current judging methods in Dressage with the aim of achieving maximum transparency and fairness and, as a consequence, trust in the sport.

The proposed changes are as follows:

Seven judges (instead of five) for defined events such as Olympic Games, FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI Continental Championships on Grand Prix level as well as FEI World Cup™ Finals.

Half marks for all FEI Dressage competitions in order to give the judges the opportunity to refine their judging and make it more precise. Half marks can be given in their full range from 0.5 up to 9.5 and for all scores (marks for movements, collective marks, technical element in the Freestyle both per movement and as final mark for that movement). Half marks already exist for the artistic element in the Freestyle.

Judges Supervisory Panel (JSP) for defined events such as Olympic Games, FEI World Equestrian Games, FEI Continental Championships at Grand Prix level as well as FEI World Cup™ Finals. The JSP is allowed to correct the judges’ marks for factual errors, such as definite technical mistakes. One of the benefits of the JSP is to provide a “back-up” for the judges in order to protect both judges and athletes by preventing unfair marks. Clear guidelines have been prepared stipulating how the JSP should interact with the judging process. The ideal composition of a JSP group (three members per show) would be two judges and one trainer or rider.

Apart from supervising at events, the JSP should evaluate the quality of judges in general, make a proposal for assessment of judges and their status (promotion), provide a “long list” proposal of judges (for the Olympic Games, WEG, Continental Championships on Grand Prix level, World Cup Finals) and a general overview of the “judges’ world” to the FEI Dressage Committee and FEI Headquarters, as described in the Dressage Task Force Report.

Dressage Director, Trond Asmyr commented on the proposals: “There is no doubt that the education of the judges and their continuous assessment according to fixed standards is an ongoing process that helps to ensure the highest level of fairness and correctness in the sport. It is vital for the future of the sport that the judging is seen to be fair and transparent.”

A full report on the proposed changes put forward by the FEI Dressage Committee-->  Here


Work on the proposed changes for the Dressage judging system was initiated by the FEI Dressage Task Force, which was formed in November 2008 to look into specific issues within the Dressage discipline.

The Race for the FEI Presidency

Princess Haya

Henk Rottinghuis

Sven Holmberg

The race for the FEI presidency



Three contenders are vying for the role of president of the International Equestrian Federation. Neil Clarkson explores the issues and examines the stakes in this high-profile contest.

In the internet age, the nuts and bolts of a presidential race that spans the globe can be found at the click of a mouse.

Three accomplished individuals are vying for the presidency of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

The incumbent of nearly four years, Princess Haya, faces a challenge from two European candidates - Swede Sven Holmberg and Dutchman Henk Rottinghuis.

The presidency will be decided at the FEI General Assembly in Chinese Taipei early in November.

The accomplishments and busy life of Princess Haya are laid out at princesshaya.net. The vision proffered by Holmberg is there for all to see at svenholmberg.com. Rottinghuis expounds his views at henkrottinghuis.org.

An avid follower of FEI politics could spend hours carefully comparing the views and policy positions of the candidates.

Rottinghuis is busy with his 100-day listening programme and has published the findings from his commissioned survey of national federations.

Holmberg has put out his 12-page manifesto, entitled "The FEI, as I see it".

The credentials of the three candidates are impressive by any definition.

Holmberg, 65, who is FEI first vice-president, is a highly respected judge and administrator at the highest levels of the sport.

His professional career has centred around IT and company management. He is now an independent computer and management consultant.

Rottinghuis, 54, has held senior management roles in multi-national companies. He was an accomplished dressage rider and was pivotal in steering the Dutch Equestrian Federation through change which saw the amalgamation of 16 groups into a single national organisation.

Princess Haya, who is married to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, can boast an impressive list of sporting and humanitarian achievements.

She has arguably carved out a higher profile for the FEI presidency than any of her predecessors. The 36-year-old has worked hard in her role and has been unwavering in her determination to ensure the global reach of equestrian sport.

"I would pursue good governance in the belief that we need to meet the needs of a modern sport in a modern world - one that demands democracy and transparency." - Henk Rottinghuis

"Equestrianism needs to unite around common values, where the horse's welfare is central." - Sven Holmberg

"An election that focuses on ways to strengthen, improve and unify our federation is good for the FEI and our sport." - Princess Haya, commenting in Britain's Horse and Hound magazine.
All three candidates acknowledge the importance of growing equestrian sport across the globe. The inclusion of its key disciplines at the Olympic Games is dependent on the sport demonstrating a global reach. All profess to understand the importance of national federations in the FEI family.

One could argue that national federations are spoilt for choice over the presidency. The reality is that nations face a choice that largely has its roots in FEI politics, and the undercurrents are very strong.

The key issues behind this three-way election battle will not be spelt out on any of the candidates' websites.

It is clear there is some discontent over Princess Haya's handling of several key issues, among them the controversial proposal to allow low levels of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in competition horses.

The handling of the NSAIDs debate at the FEI's General Assembly in Copenhagen last November was little short of a debacle.

The proposal was sprung on delegates late and there was a strong view that many from small federations did not fully understand what they were voting for, particularly those from non-English-speaking countries.

Some federations may well have believed it was simply another strand to the much-vaunted Clean Sport initiative that member nations had voted in only a few minutes earlier. Even the ascribed name, the co-called "progressive list", sounded like a positive step forward.

To this day, the precise origin of the progressive list remains a mystery, although there is a perception that Princess Haya had a major hand in getting it on the agenda.

It is also unclear why the list was suddenly sprung on nations around six days before the meeting, at a time when many national delegates were already in transit.

The narrow vote in favour of the list left key European equestrian nations in a very dark mood indeed. Holmberg immediately recognised the ramifications of what had occurred and told delegates they had taken a vote which was about to divide the sport.

Holmberg formally noted his objection to the progressive list before successfully standing for re-election as chairman of the FEI Jumping Committee.

The progressive list cast a shadow over the whole raft of changes encompassed by the Clean Sport initiatives. The FEI had triumphantly floated its Clean Sport programme then torpedoed it only minutes later.

The organisation was thrown into damage control in the weeks following and back-tracked on the list, largely accepting there was a need for more consultation.

The former zero-tolerance policy was resurrected, with an extensive consultation programme put in place in the months leading up to this November's General Assembly.

The Copenhagen meeting also saw a valuable opportunity lost to meld the somewhat unwieldy 22-member FEI Bureau into a more streamlined and skills-based team comprising some seven people.

However, poor process surrounding the plan led to its demise.

Despite strong support from nations for the general concept, the FEI seemed hell-bent on not only making the constitutional reforms needed to bring about the change, but to get the new team in place as quickly as possible.

National federations understood the need for the constitutional changes. However, many felt it would have been best to pass the constitutional reforms and then set about an orderly transition to the seven-person panel in the following year.

Remarkably, no debate was allowed on the statute changes and member nations, viewing the approach as high-handed, voted against them. Plans for a tighter management structure were left dead in the water.

The fact that several major equestrian nations were angered by the passing of the progressive list is now a matter of very public record. Many pulled no punches in their condemnation of the move.

There was also discontent over the squandering of the opportunity to streamline the FEI Bureau.

Rightly or wrongly, some put at least part of the responsibility on Princess Haya.

There was disgruntlement, too, over the paper war generated by the FEI in the lead-up to the General Assembly.

Many federation representatives were annoyed by what seemed like an endless series of tweaks in what was, by all accounts, an ongoing stream of communication.

Similar concerns had been raised over the 2008 General Assembly but little, it seemed, had changed in the intervening year.

The winds of discontent were blowing, and in Europe they were reaching gale force.

Three months after Copenhagen came the announcement of the formation of the new European Equestrian Federation (EEF), with 27 member nations.

The EEF was not formed as a result of misgivings over the Copenhagen meeting. The process to form a European union had started in March 2009 in France. That said, if timing is everything, the EEF certainly nailed a home-run.

The FEI's group system splits Europe three ways - Western Europe (group 1), Central Europe (group 2) and Eastern Europe (group 3).

"The EEF will represent the interests of European horse sport within the FEI," a release announcing its formation said.

While the EEF's formation is a positive development on many levels, the cynic might see it as putting a statutory framework in place should European nations ever have a serious disagreement with the FEI.

And the one issue that might conceivably do that is drugs.

The two major issues to be decided in Chinese Taipei are the presidency and whether the sport will stick to its current zero-tolerance policy toward drugs or relax it a little around NSAIDs.

Member nations have been invited to a two-day congress in Lausanne, Switzerland, in August to air issues around the merits or otherwise of such a policy change.

The first day will focus on the scientific evidence and the second on broader issues around their use.

For many major equestrian nations, any scientific evidence suggesting low-levels of NSAIDs would be safe in competition horses is unlikely to be enough to sway them.

For such nations, the key issue is whether such a policy would be seen as doping in the eyes of the public and sponsors. Might it potentially be seen as abuse of the horse?

A vote in favour of the progressive list in Chinese Taipei will almost certainly see the member nations of the European Equestrian Federation meeting to discuss developments.

Any international split, even on a modest scale, could potentially cause major damage to the sport globally.

The inclusion of equestrian sports at the Olympic Games is dependent on the sport satisfying the International Olympic Committee that it has global reach. There is no permanent room at the Games for any sport that cannot demonstrate that international appeal.

The FEI has pushed hard to fulfil that goal and all candidates for the presidency recognise its importance.

The last thing the FEI needs is anything that fuels the perception that equestrian sport is the sole domain of rich European nations, the United States and Canada.

It seems likely the sport is already on an unofficial yellow card after the doping scandals of the Beijing Olympics.

So, what of the three candidates?

Princess Haya is young and dynamic, but her handling of the NSAIDs issue and the failure to secure a more streamlined management structure has counted against her with some federations. The poor management of both issues in Copenhagen and Princess Haya's perceived role in that may well have eroded her support.

What is intriguing is that Europe has managed to generate two candidates to stand against her.

Holmberg is globally well-known and widely respected. He is perceived as the candidate with the backing of the European Equestrian Federation.

He emerges as the logical European candidate, well-versed in the machinations of the FEI through his role as first vice-president and as head of the Jumping Committee.

His support in Europe will undoubtedly be strong, but it is much harder to quantify among smaller nations.

He is likely to find an erosion of support in the Asia-Pacific region. Holmberg is viewed as having played a pivotal role in his Jumping Committee's decision to align those nations with Eastern Europe in the qualifying road to the 2012 Olympics.

Asia-Pacific countries face a much tougher path to the Games as a result.

He undoubtedly would have thought long and hard about challenging for the presidency.

The top job is effectively a full-time role whereas his current FEI vice-presidency is far less demanding of time.

FEI vice-presidents are usually elected unopposed. Holmberg was the president's choice for the role and the member-nations rubber-stamped her choice.

The fact he is now standing against the princess perhaps indicates the depth of feeling - and support - for Holmberg.

Rottinghuis is a man of undoubted ability, but it is puzzling as to why the Dutch federation would feel the need to stand a candidate as well.

The Netherlands is without a representative on the board of the new European body. Could that have played a part?

Rottinghuis is less well-known than Holmberg and acknowledges he will need to win the support of smaller federations to stand a chance in the election.

Indeed, all candidates will require significant support from smaller federations to secure a win.

In the vote, one of the candidates must secure a two-thirds majority for a win. In the event none can reach that threshold in a three-way contest, the lowest-polling candidate will bow out before a re-vote.

At present, with three months to the General Assembly, it is hard to see any of the candidates winning outright in a first-round vote.

The most likely first casualty would be Rottinghuis, unless he can build a strong support base among the smaller federations in the next 90 days.

If he drops out in the first round, a vote between Princess Haya and Holmberg would likely be very close, with neither at this stage appearing likely to easily gain the required two-thirds majority.

Many smaller nations will perceive this contest as one pitting European history and tradition against the rest of the world.

They will likely address several key questions before voting. Would a sport which is already seen as Euro-centric benefit from having a European president? Does Princess Haya perhaps offer wider global appeal? How accountable is she for the failure to streamline the FEI Bureau and the controversy around NSAIDs?

That is for the 133 member-nations to decide.

Should Princess Haya emerge victorious, it is possible Holmberg's position as first vice-president would no longer be tenable. That said, in the event of a close vote, Princess Haya might see Holmberg's continuation in the role as a politically astute move to retain European support for her new mandate.

The 2010 General Assembly will deliver an answer on the presidency and provide what will undoubtedly be the last word on whether equestrian sport is taking a zero-tolerance stance on drugs or a more permissive approach.

Ironically, it will not deliver a resolution to the other outstanding issue from Copenhagen that muddied the waters for the princess: that of the cumbersome FEI Bureau structure.

Streamlining is not on the agenda.

That issue will be waiting in the in-box of the future president.

Re: help please - link to FEI - dressage

Help please!

If anyone has the link to the FEI notice that includes pictures of what's allowed when warming up dressage horses, I'd really appreciate it if you'd post it on this thread.

Thanking you in anticipation of your help.

Henk Rottinghuis and the FEI

FEI shortcomings outlined by presidential hopeful



Dutchman Henk Rottinghuis has outlined a series of shortcomings in the International Equestrian Federation as he ramps up his campaign for the world body's presidency.

Rottinghuis is one of three people seeking the top job at the FEI. He and Swede Sven Holmberg are standing against the incumbent, Princess Haya.

Rottinghuis, whose campaign has involved a 100-day listening programme in which he has sought input on the future of equestrian sport, has published his analysis of the information gathered, including the feedback from an independent survey of equestrian nations.

Rottinghuis said the feedback he received highlighted unrest over the performance of the FEI and signalled the need for a fresh approach

It indicates the FEI is not meeting the needs of national federations and there is unrest over the way in which a range of issues are currently handled.

His analysis, which lays out the most forthright criticism of the FEI in the campaign so far, indicated the FEI had lost its image and authority due to "self-inflicted incidents" - a clear reference to the handling of the anti-inflammatory drug debate last year and the disqualification of Sapphire from the World Cup jumping final competition.

He said his analysis showed the FEI was not meeting the professional standards organisers and riders required from it, and some non-Olympic disciplines questioned the support of the body in developing their discipline.

A proper structure, including the assistance of established federations, was lacking in the organisation.

It lacked the urge to globalise the sport quickly.

The analysis also highlighted criticism over its handling of horse welfare, with the FEI's discussion on the issue confined to clean sport issues.

"The FEI does not gather enough scientific and conclusive evidence before announcing key decisions."

The world body needed to re-evaluate its relationship with volunteers in order to get maximum benefit from them, citing a fourfold growth in international events over the past 10 years.

"The FEI lacks transparency and is not held fully accountable for the decisions it makes. The organisation needs a new board structure that effectively represents and is answerable to all its members," Rottinghuis found.

"There are too many rules and too many new initiatives being introduced into the sport, without having had a chance to implement the existing ones."

As well as consulting national federations, Rottinghuis also sought the views of a wide range of people within the sport, through face-to-face meetings, emails and phone calls.

"There is a huge passion and enthusiasm for our sport that transcends disciplines, regions and countries," Rottinghuis said.

"My analysis is in no way intended to be a direct criticism of those who have worked so hard to make our sport a growing success. They should be proud of their contribution. But any analysis of this kind has to be critical if it is going to produce improvements in the way things are done.

"I believe we have to listen to what is being said and then actually act on that feedback, so we create the momentum that our fast-pace sport demands.

"That's why I hope people will feel free to comment on the findings of my analysis - whether they agree with them or not."

Rottinghuis said he would publish his agenda late in September "on which I will stand for the presidency.

"This agenda will set out the actions and approach I will take if elected president."

Dressage Queen

Great little video created by "Dressage for the Rest of Us"    video

:-))))

Romy

Great Story about Lippizaner Cross

who became one of Switzerland's most successful dressage horses and a two time Olympian. Not to mention his rider was the youngest rider ever at that time and first woman to make the Swiss Dressage team.

"....So their first Olympic experience ended with a team silver medal. Funnily in Tokyo in 1964 only one medal for every team was provided and gentlemen as they were Fischer and Chammartin handed this medal to Marianne." Now that is chivalry;-)

http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2010/08/18/stephan-field-accident-gone-olympic

Source:www.eurodressage.com "Stephan, A Field Accident Gone Olympic"

 

Siglavy Montenegra

...I was bought by a Lipizzan... :-)))

les quatres écoles d'Art Equestre à Paris Bercy en novembre 2007

Jan. 21, 2010, young Lipizzaner Stallions arrive

4 year old Lipizzaner stallions arrive at the Hofburg in Vienna Januar 21, 2010. Then they get their first look at the Stallburg, their new home. It is a little scary to be the new guys ! All of the older stallions are very interested in the new arrivals.

Spanische Hofreitschule 2005 USA Tour

Here is a link to a video from the~~>>  Spanische Hofreitschule US tour 2005.


Romy

New Footing for the Spanische Hofreitschule

The Spanische Hofreitschule announced today that a new type of sand had been spread at the Winterreitschule in Vienna and at its training centre in the Lower Austrian town of Heldenberg.The revolutionary sand will cause less strain to the famous Lipizzaner stallions.

The SRS explained the modern grit was totally "dust free" and more comfortable for the horses to be ridden on. Several companies and patrons came up with the 120,000-Euro investment.

SRS added that the Lipizzaners will train on the new surface next Tuesday (17 August), with the first performance in front of spectators scheduled for 28 August.