The period of the renassaince was known as the rebirth or relearning of the "Classical Ways of life". For the history of the Spanish Riding School, people began learning and teaching the same forms of horsemanship that was used during the time of the ancient Greeks.
The first reference of the “Spanish Riding School” dates all the way back to the year 1565. A documentation was found that money was used to build the riding grounds in the Hofburg gardens. This school is the only “Institute of Classical Art of Riding” which practices and maintains the “Renaissance Tradition of Classical Schooling”.
In 1562, Emperor Maximilian II brought the Spanish horses to Austria, (hence the name “Spanish Riding School”) and founded a royal stud farm in Kladrub (nowadays: Bohemia). The horses from this stud were the ones that were used in the School during the time of the Renaissance. They wanted to breed a horse that was powerful enough to carry an armored rider into battle, yet still agile and quick. Soon, a new strain of these Spanish horses dominated the battlefield and the royal studs.
The original “Spanish Riding Hall” was built in 1572. It was a simple wooden building on the riding grounds in the Hofburg gardens (nowadays: Josefsplatz). This was during the time when the Hofburg family ruled both Austria and Spain.
Maximilian’s brother, Archduke Charles of Austria, founded the studfarm in “Lipizza” or otherwise known as “Equile Lilpizzano” (nowadays: Lipica) in 1580. This studfarm proved to produce the best horses, so these noble Spanish horses were named “Lipizzaner” or “Lipizzan” in honor of the studfarm in Lipizza.
