Here are a couple more I liked.

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And a view of the horses behind the scenes.

Thanks for the memories Marcia! Like you I had tears in my eyes just watching the beautiful movement of these horses! Wouldn't you have loved to be a part of their team and ride one of those beautiful horses?

Very nice pictures! YOu must have had some GOOD seats. Thanks for sharing the photos but what i really want to know is...are they all stallions???

Yes, Laura, they are ALL stallions, for two reasons. Number one, the mares cannot perform some of the movements, especially The Airs Above The Ground, due to having a much different center of gravity than the stallions. And number two, they can't have even ONE mare in a group of stallions like that, unless they want to give a show of a much different type...presumably X-rated and somewhat out of control. So...stallions they are, though all of the riders except the Head Trainer were women. (Against tradition, as these horses were originally battle horses, and it was the men they would be carrying.)

Wanda, I would love to be able to ride ANY horse, much less these beautiful creatures. Even when I was slimmer, I could only hang on for dear life. Now that MY center of gravity is totally skewed, I'm like a Weeble sitting on top of a tennis ball...a serious fall waiting to happen!

I wish I could have gotten some good photos of the Airs Above The Ground, but I had to use a flash during that portion of the show, and no matter how far in advance I tried to take the picture, by the time the shutter clicked, the horse was back on the ground. Sigh! But I'm happy with the photos I DID get, and I have my souvenir program/history book.

Wanda, our seats weren't the BIG BUCKS ones, which were around the edge of the ring on folding chairs, but I thought they were excellent. Only three rows up from those, and plenty close enough. Plus we were near the curtain and got to watch each and every entrance and exit closely. And I could see over the barrier to my right and watch two of the horses behind the curtain being saddled, etc. I loved it.

The whole experience just wore me OUT. In a good way, of course!

Marcia

Great looking show,Marcia. So glad you got your childhood
wish. Barb is a good friend and Erin is a good daughter.
What a blessing.
Felix

Thanks, Felix! It was so much fun, and yes, Barb is a good friend, and Erin is just the BEST daughter, EVER!! I'm VERY lucky, indeed!

Boy do I miss her smiling face!!!

I will never forget finally seeing these beautiful horses, after a mere 52 years of longing to watch them perform! *happy sigh*

Marcia

Wonderful pictures Marcia! Looks like you had a wonderful evening. It really is a shame there are not more men riding dressage in this country. At SRS all the bereiters are men as you stated.

The World Master's Dressage series is being held in Wellington this year January28-Feb2. Winners of the Olympics and the World Cup will be there. It is a very big deal for dressage enthusiasts and if you want to see more ridden dressage (and probably better if truth be told) and more men riding go for the weekend. Good gardens to see also.

That would be fun to see, peachpaws, and I do like to watch the horses at the Olympics, etc. Dressage is very enjoyable. For me, seeing the Lipizzaners embodied more than the movements, though. They are such beautiful animals with such a wonderful history, it goes even beyond the dressage, or even the Airs Above The Ground, which are breathtaking. It's just the whole ball of wax, if you know what I mean.

I know the Spanish Riding School is the creme de la creme, but these guys (performing as The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions, rather than as the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions) are direct descendants from the Spanish horses and I'm so happy they are breeding and training them here. I would never be likely to see them in Europe, but I finally got my chance to see them in Orlando.