Horses Are Made To Be Horses

Horses Are Made To Be Horses

Horses Are Made To Be Horses is both a testament to the life and ideals of the former Spanish Riding School instructor, Franz Mairinger and a tribute from his many pupils and associates. The book is based on notes from lectures and demonstrations given throughout Australia by Franz Mairinger and painstakingly assembled by his widow, Erna, friends, pupils, and followers of his teaching.Every page communicates the presence and personality of the teacher as he instructs, persuades, argues, accuses, jokes, provokes, and draws analogies from many areas of human experience. In dispelling the myth of the whip-wielding dictator he creates the picture of a patient and caring horseman who regards discipline as the basis for social stability as well as the natural order. His profound understanding of the horse involves the belief in its true place and purpose in creation, as an animal whose energies and talents are best expressed by following the pattern of nature-never by invoking force.This book is essential and wholly enjoyable reading for all serious riders who wish to compete in dressage, show jumping, or three-day eventing. The text emphasises a gradual progression from the basic philosophy and psychology of riding, to the simplest and eventually the most advanced movements, dressage, jumping, combined training, and judging. The carefully chosen illustrations reflect just as truly as his words, Franz Mairinger's quest for perfection in all aspects of horsemanship and his continuity with history's great masters of the art of riding.The Howell Equestrian LibraryAbout the AuthorFRANZ MAIRINGER was born in Vienna on 11 December 1915, the son of an engineer. He enlisted in the Austrian Cavalry in 1935 and was soon chosen to attend the highly regarded Cavalry School of Hanover where he spent two years receiving thorough training in jumping and three-day eventing. His skill so impressed the Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna that he was offered a position at the School, where he worked for more than twelve years with great success. In 1951, after a time as a private instructor in Switzerland, he left Europe to begin a new life in Australia with his family. His appointment as the first trainer of an Australian Olympic Equestrian team in 1955 was the beginning of an extraordinarily successful association. With his skilled guidance, the Australian team gained fourth place at the 1956 Stockholm Olympics (Equestrian) and followed this by winning a gold medal at the Rome Olympics in 1960. In all, Franz Mairinger trained six Australian teams for the Olympics and was preparing the seventh at the time of his death on 10 May 1978 - a tragic loss both to all Australian riders and to the international equestrian world.