Movements

The Haute Ecole

These movements are not a part of classical dressage competitions but are still taught at the Spanish Riding School, where they remain unique. They are based on movements natural to the horse.

The Levade

This move requires the horse to balance with all its weight on the hindquarters, with the hind legs bent under the belly and forelegs bent close to the chest. The body is at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground and the horse remains motionless in this position for a few seconds.

Watch as this horse transitions from the piaffe into the levade with a rider. This horse is one of the many Lipizzaners trained and ridden at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.

The Courbette

The horse assumes the Levade position and then makes several jumps without the forelegs touching the ground.

The courbette.

The Capriole

The horse leaps into the air with the body horizontal. At the full height of the jump, the horse kicks out violently with both hind legs. For knights, this was a useful way to repel enemy pursuers in battle.

This horse, a Lipizzaner, demonstrates the capriole.