Spanish horsemanship/working equitation (video)

[Gale Seddon]

I'm posting this here and not on the Horse Board cause I think everyone can appreciate the skill, training, and beauty of this video (about 5 minutes long).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhuip8kyBTU

 

[MillIronQH]

Once again I'm reminded of how totally inadequate I am. This is cowboy dressage carried to the umpteenth level. It looks like a Grand Prix dressage pattern +++++. Do you know if this is Spanish or Portugese?

Last winter the horses and riders from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna came to the states for the first time in 40 years. One of their stops was Houston. Something about the 70-75th ?aniversary of Ike saving the horses in Spain and getting them to Austria where they still are today. Ther are two or three groups of Lippizaners in the states that tour around but until you see the real thing you ain't seen nuthin'.

Dressage means training and the original tests were a exibition of a cavalry rider and his horses skills and abilities.

The student/acceptees at the Spanish riding school don't get a saddle for the first year and don't get their spurs for five.Z

 

[Alice]

Oh my, Gale...that was incredible. What a horse! What a rider! You are right...that was absolutely beautiful...just awesome.

Alice (who's gushing and doesn't care you knows it)

 

[holly heifer]

wow- what precision!

 

[peg4x4]

what got me was ,the reins were on the saddle horn,one hand on the pole,the other resting on the riders thigh!! All that was done with leg cues alone!! OOOOH WOW!!

 

[Gale Seddon]

I'm really glad you all apprceciated this. I could sit and watch this over and over (and listen to that flamenco music with it). It is so far "out there" compared to what one usually sees at a horse show. Also watched a few minutes of the bull fighting (with the horses, the picador I think is that guy on the horse who stabs the bull, right?). Scarey stuff, incredible horses, poor bulls. I went to a bull fight in Mexico years ago with the horses, but they all had very heavy padding on one side...in the videos that are on this dressage site though, there is NO padding.

 

[peg4x4]

In a Mexican bullfight,the horse is a platform from which to stab the bull to weaken it,then the matador kills the bull....Portugese(sp?) bullfighting is horse and rider agenst the bull--control of the horse is paramount,and the bull isn't killed,he's used again,kinda like our bulldoggin steers or roping calves(or so I understand)

 

[chrisy]

Have been to see the Horses train in Austria and what a sight, they are wonderful so graceful, and have seen there shows many times at Dressage shows. can't think of anything more graceful than a good well mannered horse... thanks for sharing that Gale