Lipizzaners and Airs Above the Ground

Tags: Lipizzaner, Training, Behavior, Dressage

 

The Lipizzaner is known principally for its strength in dressage and for its ability to do the famous airs above the ground. Only a few breeds in the world have the capability to do the famous airs because they require a substantial amount of strength in the hindquarters that most breeds simply do not possess. Only after achieving the highest level of dressage training can a Lipizzaner begin training for these impressive and difficult exercises. While Lipizzaners all over the world are trained to perform these amazing movements, perhaps the best executed are those by the Lipizzaners at the famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.

Airs above the ground are said to be very old training techniques for fighting in battle, but if the airs that are performed today were ever used in battle, they certainly would have exposed the horse to a great deal of danger, because they mostly involve exposing the vulnerable underbelly of the horse. That being said, they are certainly useful for increasing a horse's agility and certain moves would be helpful for intimidation purposes if for no other reason. The military angle receives more credence when we take into fact that the major riding schools, including the Spanish Riding School and the Cadre Noir in France, were created for military purposes.

The major airs that are still performed worldwide today are the courbette, mezair (although this air is no longer performed at the Spanish Riding School), levade and pesade, and the capriole. Training for airs above the ground generally starts with the pesade and the levade, which are the basis for the other airs. There is some confusion with these two names, as different terms are used by different riding schools, but traditionally the pesade comes first. Starting from a piaffe, or the dressage movement in which the horse performs a cadenced trot in or nearly in place, the horse lowers his hindquarters, lifts up the front of his body and holds the position at a forty-five degree angle for several seconds. The levade is much more difficult, as it has the horse holding his body at a thirty-five degree angle, requiring a great deal more effort. The levade only dates from the beginning of the 20th century. These two poses are often seen in paintings or in sculpture of famous military personnel or aristocrats over the centuries.

In the mezair, the horse raises up on its hindquarters and kicks out with his front legs. It is said that this air would have been used in battle to either threaten or strike at infantry. The courbette, the most difficult of the airs, is a series of hops done while balancing on the hind legs. This air is said to have been used to break through infantry lines while simultaneously protecting the rider. Finally, the capriole is arguably the most famous of the airs, and takes the longest to learn. For this air, the horse leaps up vertically, tucks in the forelegs, and then violently kicks out with his hind legs.

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