| The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art
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AT THE ROYALWELSH SHOW
By Rosemary Cooper.
Magic. Pure magic. That is the only way to describe the eight performances the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art gave at the Royal Welsh Show, 2005. Each time they earned a rapturous standing ovation.
Watching each of these displays was a privilege and a memory to treasure for life. Many performances were so beautiful people's eyes misted with tears. I never thought that dressage could have such an effect on people.
The penultimate performance was followed by falconry, the concours
d'elegance, the cattle parade and the hound parade, all of which I
thoroughly enjoy at any normal show. This time all these events seemed anti-climatic. I felt emotionally drained. Even an hour afterwards my eyes were still misting up with emotion at the thought of the Spanish horses dancing.
Each performance was divided into three sections, or choreographies. Few were repeated, as each performance was different. Some choreographies were based on 'Doma Vaquera', or Andalusian country dressage used for herding cattle. The rider, reins in one hand, took the horse round the track, walking or galloping, changing the rhythm and performing turns and spins. These displays were performed by part-bred geldings with Andalusian, Arab and Thoroughbred blood.
Others were classical dressage. These include the Pas de Deux, Pas de Trois, and Fantasy, which is a performance by a single horse and rider. Some involved half-passes, flying changes and canter pirouettes. Others focused on passage, piaffe and the Spanish walk. The horses in these displays were pure-bred Andalusian stallions.
And then of course there were the airs above the ground. Andalusian stallions leaped forwards on their hind legs across the arena. Others
performed the levade and capriole. Most of the airs above the ground were performed by horses on a long rein, but on the last day, they were carried out by ridden horses.
Highlights stand out in the mind. A long-reined stallion performed a piaffe between the pillars to dramatic drum beats. Riders placed one end of a long pole on the ground and pirouetted beneath it at a fast canter. The only woman rider performed the Fantasy on a stallion from the school's Olympic team, and advanced the length of the arena at the Spanish walk. Riders performed a pirouette at a gallop, and halted from a gallop for the salute.
Once I counted a sequence of twenty-four flying changes. One rider walked steadily behind a bay stallion. He had a long whip in one hand while his other hand rested on the horse's hind quarters. The stallion cantered at walking speed around the whole arena, with a flying change at each step. How on earth do you do that?
The dressage arena had flowers around it, and the flags of Spain and Wales were on the two central pillars. The beauty of each display was enhanced by the inspired use of evocative Andalusian music.
It is many years since I last saw a performance by the Spanish Riding
School, so I cannot comment on the finer points of dressage at such an exalted level. However the Spanish Riding School performs to the music of Johann Strauss, and, in my opinion, the choice of Andalusian music is far more atmospheric, making this display even more magical that a display by the Spanish Riding School.
There are only four such schools, specializing in classical dressage, in the whole world. The riders wear 18th century dress because the school originated at this time. However it was opened in 1973 and in 1987 the King of Spain gave it the status of Royal Trust. In 1990 the Andalusian Regional Government took it under its wing. It offers scholarships for riders, but only the most skilled are invited to join the display.
Its most famous display, 'How Andalusian Horses Dance' is an equestrian ballet based on choreographs taken from classical and country dressage, as well as from other traditional riding specialities. Although you might think that this exhibition appears to be the main activity, the work of the School goes much further. It keeps alive Andalusia's equestrian heritage, and undertakes different activities that include the training of technicians for the horse world and the selection of pure Spanish bred horses for breeding. Future professional riders are trained to be experts in classical dressage and Andalusian country dressage. The school also trains carriage horses and drivers as well as saddlers and grooms.
The Andalusian breed has its origins in 15th century Spain, in the horses bred by monks at the Carthusian Monastery of Jerez. After being carefully selected from the top stud farms, only the finest horses enter the Fundacion Real Escuela where they are trained to the highest level according to their individual capabilities.
The horses are four years old when training begins, and it takes four years to train them. However, Furioso, a rose grey stallion, is only seven years old. The oldest horse in the school is twenty-three, and the average age is ten to twelve. Pure bred Andalusian stallions in the school have long tails, but there are also part bred Andalusian geldings, who are docked so that their tails are not caught up when they are working with cattle.
The appearance at the Royal Welsh was the first time the school has come to Britain. This is the substance of dreams, but one question remains in the mind. What on earth can the Royal Welsh Show stage in 2006 to follow a display like this?