Spanish Riding School of Vienna - Horses' Diet

HollyWoozle

HollyWoozle

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Last night I went to the arena at Wembley to see the Spanish Riding School of Vienna perform. I enjoyed the show and actually Carl Hester gave a short performance beforehand which I didn't realise would be happening, an added bonus.

The one thing which really shocked me about the Lipizzaners was that I felt some of them were really quite fat. Some more than others (some quite shockingly so in my opinion). I found it interesting that it was stated in the programme how important their diet is and that the stallions are all fed:

- hay
- oats
- carrots
- apples

I would argue that this diet does not provide everything the horses need, but I wonder if they feed it because it is what they have traditionally been fed on? I don't have the programme to hand as I let my friend take it, so I didn't see what they said exactly, though it did include the weights of the above elements of the diet. It's possible it mentioned other elements and I missed it, so if anyone was there and have the programme, please do let me know what it says.

I was just wondering if anybody who has seen them perform felt the same? I feel privileged to have seen the performance and I did enjoy it, but actually it spoilt it for me to an extent as I couldn't stop thinking of the health implications their weight would have, especially when they are performing these difficult movements which must put a lot of strain on their bodies. I also wondered how their performance would be altered if they were leaner.

I was just curious about the fact that these horses, effectively athletes at the top of their game, are kept in this condition and whether it reflects traditional practices of the school (which has been doing for nearly 450 years I think) or if they just feel that is the best shape for them and the best diet to feed them. I have also seen the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art and there was a stark difference between their horses and those from last night. Obviously I understand they are different horses (and not Lipizzaners), kept in a different place and so forth, but I couldn't help comparing the two when their performances were quite similar in many ways and when the horses have similar origins.

Any thoughts?
 
I would say they are probably fed other things that we aren't aware of, I would be amazed if they didn't get a high quality source of vitamins and minerals
 
Remember they are all stallions and stallions do tend to get heavy, the bred itself is deep and heavily muscled. I was surprised at how small they are, 15h seems about it.

I would think they want for nothing and travelling like they do there will be plenty of care for them.
 
I will have to try and get hold of my friend to see exactly what was said about the diet.

My main concern was really with their size, but that's not to say their breeders/riders/grooms don't know best of course. I was just curious to hear other thoughts about it really. :)

ETA: I should be clear that I don't think the horses are hard done by. I am sure they receive excellent care and attention and have an excellent rapport with their riders (I would say that's evident in what they can achieve).
 
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they're Baroque dahling ;) (lie myself :D)

if Lipizzaners are anything like the other Iberians (Lusitanos IME) , they are easy keepers. I saw the Portuguese School schooling at Queluz and was surprised at how rotund the Alter Reals are and they aren't tall either.
 
Haha, I am also a little "baroque" myself at times. ;)

I don't want to seem naive... I do understand that they are stallions and that they are a chunky breed, potentially good doers etc. but I really felt that some were quite overweight (and that those facts are not an excuse or a reason to be overweight). Maybe I am wrong and they are in prime condition, I am here to be educated, but my three horsey friends all felt the same as me so I just thought I'd collate some opinions about it really.

They are undeniably beautiful and talented horses, I just felt that I would've liked to see what they could achieve if they were a little bit trimmer (which is also how I feel about myself).
 
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I saw them a year ago and thought they were beautifully fit and healthy.
Believe me, they could not perform with such athleticism if they weren't. They also have a much longer working life than your average horse because the training and care is exceptional.

I guess, the diet they put in the programme, is just a basic guide for the general public.
 
I reckon they just put things the general public would recognise!

Given the touring schedule/ travel/ variance in work levels associated I think they would aim for the slightly better side of consistency in terms of weight. The hours on the road alone must be a nightmare to work around training and feeding.

Despite everything done to assist with it a horse spending so long traveling must be under some stress and this can affect how fat is laid down (hormonally). Additionally when a large group of stallions is kept together it affects their testosterone levels (decreases for the majority) so this may be a factor.

I believe the horses also get holidays/ time off work plus they don't all go on tour (obviously).

They are athletes, in the same way that both a weightlifter and a sprinter are athletes. A baroque haute ecole and a racehorse do very specialised things, very well.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
I guess, the diet they put in the programme, is just a basic guide for the general public.
Click to expand...


This is my thinking. not everyone who watches the shows will know about horses. If a non horsey person asks me what horses eat I just say a mix that looks like museli as everyone understands that
 
This is an interesting thread! I was looking yesterday at photos of models made by a 17th-c. sculptor for an equestrian statue, and even knowing that the horse was meant to be a stallion of a stockier breed, to my eye (OK, lately I've mainly been looking at Endurance horses, that tend to be lighter breeds kept on the light side), he looked awfully chunky. I own a part-bred Lipizzaner mare; she really takes after her Lipi mum, and looks stocky indeed, especially now that she's fluffy as a bear. And I know she's not fat!
 
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