Alois
Podhajsky

A Cavalry Officer Drawn to the Classical Art

Alois Podhajsky was an Austrian military officer, Olympic dressage rider, and the long-serving director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. He is remembered for his dedication to classical horsemanship, for his writing on dressage and training, and for his role in preserving the Lipizzaner breed and the traditions of haute école through the upheaval of the Second World War.

Podhajsky was born on February 24, 1898, in Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The son of a military father, he grew up in army surroundings and became an officer in the Austrian Army, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. His cavalry career placed him among horses throughout his early life and led him toward the disciplined riding that would define his work.

1936 Berlin — Olympic Dressage Bronze Aboard Nero

Podhajsky competed in dressage at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he won the individual bronze medal riding the Thoroughbred Nero. He competed again at the 1948 Summer Olympics. His Olympic success, achieved on a Thoroughbred rather than a Lipizzaner, reflected the training philosophy he carried throughout his career — an emphasis on patience, suppleness, and a willing partnership between horse and rider.

Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna

In 1939, Podhajsky became head of the Academy of Classical Horsemanship — known worldwide as the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. Founded in 1572, the school is devoted to training Lipizzaner stallions in the art of classical dressage and preserving the centuries-old traditions of haute école. Podhajsky directed the school through the Second World War and continued in the role until his retirement in 1965, a tenure of more than twenty-five years.

During the post-war years, when Vienna was under Allied occupation, Podhajsky took the school on the road, staging exhibitions abroad over several seasons. The tours were demanding, but they brought the school international renown and helped sustain it until it could fully return home.

The Stallions and General Patton

As the Second World War drew to a close, the survival of the Spanish Riding School's Lipizzaner stallions was in doubt. Food was scarce for people and animals alike, and the horses were at risk. As American forces under General George S. Patton advanced through Austria, Patton — himself a former Olympic equestrian — was made aware of the stallions' presence.

Podhajsky and Patton had each competed in equestrian events at the Olympic Games, and the two men renewed their acquaintance. After Podhajsky arranged a performance by the remaining horses and riders of the school before Patton and Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson, the Americans agreed to place the stallions under United States protection. Podhajsky later wrote about these events, and his account was adapted into the 1963 Walt Disney film Miracle of the White Stallions, in which actor Robert Taylor portrayed Colonel Podhajsky.

• Director of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna — 1939 to 1965
• 1936 Berlin Olympics — individual dressage bronze medal on Nero
• Competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics
• Career officer in the Austrian Army — rose to colonel
• Protected the Spanish Riding School and its Lipizzaner stallions during World War II
• Awarded the Order of Saint Sava
• Subject of Walt Disney's 1963 film Miracle of the White Stallions

Author of Classical Horsemanship

Following his retirement, Podhajsky continued to teach classical horsemanship and wrote a number of widely read books on riding and training. His works include The Spanish Riding School (1948), The White Stallions of Vienna (1963), his autobiography My Dancing White Horses (1965), The Lipizzaners (1969), The Art of Dressage, My Horses, My Teachers, The Riding Teacher, and the instructional classic The Complete Training of Horse and Rider in the Principles of Classical Horsemanship.

Podhajsky died on May 23, 1973, at the age of 75. He is remembered as one of the most influential classical riders and teachers of the twentieth century — for his Olympic achievement, for his stewardship of the Spanish Riding School, and above all for helping ensure that the Lipizzaner stallions and the art of haute école survived into the modern era.