Vocation: Rider
Training at the Spanish Riding School involves attending a school of life and growing within the structures of a centuries-old tradition. The profession of a rider is a constant calling —a life dedicated to fulfilling, yet sometimes demanding, work. Our riders’ own needs always take a back seat, while the needs of the horses set the pace. For eight, sometimes up to ten years, self-discipline and the will to learn are put to the test on the cobblestones of Vienna’s Michaelerplatz. Horse and rider learn from one another. Young riders learn from their seniors. Aspiring masters learn from immortal legends of times past. The oral tradition of knowledge handed down from generation to generation is still applied to this day.
In this way, the High School of Classical Horsemanship and the cultural heritage of the Spanish Riding School are preserved and passed on.
Presented here are the bearers of this invaluable knowledge.
The order of the portraits follows the internal structure of the institution and reflects the hierarchy within the school: it begins with the chief riders and continues through the long-serving riders to those who have embarked on their journey to become a rider in the future – a visible expression of the traditions that have formed the foundation of training at the Spanish Riding School for centuries.
Riders
Chief Rider Rudolf Rostek
Rudolf Rostek knew from a young age that he wanted to become a rider at the Spanish Riding School. He
joined the School as an eleve in 1991, became a rider in 2002 and was promoted to chief rider in 2019. Besides
riding, he is passionate about skiing and adores his family.
Chief Rider Herbert Seiberl
Herbert Seiberl began his career in 1994, became a rider in 2005 and was promoted to chief rider in 2019. He loves riding in front of an audience and the thrill that that entails under the light of the chandeliers. He enjoys spending his time off with his dog, who likes to go running with him. But when he skis, his dog stays at home.
Chief Rider Marcus Nowotny
Marcus Nowotny joined the Spanish Riding School as an eleve in November 1999 and became a rider in 2007, eventually being promoted to chief rider in 2023. He celebrated his wedding in the Winter Riding School, the world’s most beautiful indoor riding arena. These is no greater way to express his affinity for the Spanish Riding School.
Rider Christian Bachinger
The Spanish Riding School welcomed its third generation of Bachingers in 1981, when Christian Bachinger started working as an eleve. He went on to become a rider in November 1991. Riding is truly a vocation when not only your profession but also your favourite recreational activity.
Rider Marius Schreiner
Marius Schreiner joined the Spanish Riding School in 1996. After five years as an eleve, he was promoted to assistant rider in 2001, eventually to rider in 2007. His favorite leisure pastime involves spending time with his dogs. We can definitely conclude that people who love horses love dogs as well.
Rider Florian Zimmermann
Florian Zimmermann joined the Spanish Riding School in September 1996 and was appointed rider in 2007. He too spends a lot of time with his two dogs when he has some time off. Besides bathing in applause when he's on horseback, he is passionate about diving.
Rider Helmut Oberhauser
Helmut Oberhauser started working as an eleve in 1997 and was promoted to rider in 2007. In his spare time he frequently enjoys running marathons in other countries. He loves travelling and is fascinated by languages and other cultures. He finds peace and serenity while fishing, balancing out the brisk everyday pace at the Spanish Riding School.
Rider Philipp Burg
Philipp Burg began his career in 2002 and was promoted to the rank of rider in September 2011. He spends most of his free time in the saddle, and he also loves long walks with his dog, Lilli. Can you ever have enough four-legged friends? Definitely not, according to Philipp Burg.
Rider Florian Erwin Zimmermann
Florian Erwin Zimmermann began working as an eleve in 2003 and was promoted to assistant rider in 2008. He became a rider in 2013 thanks to the successful training of his first stallion, Maestoso Malina. Florian Erwin Zimmermann devotes his free time to his own horses, participating in numerous competitions with them.
Rider Hannah Zeitlhofer
Hannah Zeitlhofer was taken on as an eleve in 2008. A passionate horse lover, she then advanced to become an assistant rider in the summer of 2012. Her successful training of Siglavy Batosta, her first stallion, led to her becoming the first female rider at the Spanish Riding School in 2016 and guaranteeing her place in history. Chapeau!
Rider Theresa Stefan
Theresa Stefan started working at the Spanish Riding School in 2011, gaining promotion to assistant rider in 2016 and subsequently, in 2019, to rider. Favory Wanda II is her first self-trained stallion. She has continued Wanda’s training on the long rein. Together, they performed this intricate choreography for the first time in 2023.
Rider Valentina Utz
Valentina Utz began her apprenticeship in 2016, which she completed with excellent results. She then became an eleve in 2018, achieved promotion to assistant rider in 2021. Due to the successful training of her first stallion Conversano Dubovina, she was appointed as rider in 2024. She spends her free time with her friends and family in Upper Austria.
Assistant Rider Paula Behrens
Paula Behrens began her apprenticeship as a groom in November 2015, which she completed with excellent results two years later. She then went on to become an eleve in 2017, and was finally promoted to assistant rider in 2020. She is currently busy training her stallion, Neapolitano Brava II. She loves to spend her time off with her dog and, of course, with horses.
Assistant Rider Felix Burger
Felix Burger became an eleve at the Spanish Riding School in 2016 and was then promoted to assistant rider in 2021. The first school stallion he is permitted to train is Maestoso Alma II. Felix Burger loves spending his free time with his dog, his friends – and especially with horses.
Assistant Rider Emma Bröckling
Emma Bröckling began her apprenticeship at the Spanish Riding School in October 2017 and completed it two years later. Emma continued as an eleve until she finally gained promotion to assistant rider. Pluto Toscana, her first stallion, is her reward for all her hard work and talent. Her love of animals extends to another four-legged friend, her dog, with whom she loves roaming around her native Carinthia.
Stable Master Andreas Haipl
Andreas Haipl has been connected to horses from an early age and decided to make this deep connection his career. At the age of 20, he started working as a groom in the stables of the riding school, the Stallburg Imperial Stables in Vienna. Since March 1, 2022, he has been Stable Master of the Spanish Riding School.
The long way to become a rider
The long journey from trainee or eleve to rider, and in rare cases to chief rider, demands exceptional dedication from aspiring riders. The initial three years of training are based on the state-recognized apprenticeship as Pferdewirtschaftsfacharbeiter, which includes both practical training at the institution and attendance at vocational school. Naturally, this period also involves riding lessons.
After successfully completing the apprenticeship, those demonstrating outstanding riding ability may continue their education as an eleve. Depending on talent and personal commitment, it takes an additional two to four years to progress from eleve, who remains under the supervision of the stable master, to assistant rider.
During the first years, trainees and eleves learn not only the proper care of the horses through stable work but also the correct handling of all necessary equipment: saddles, bridles, and tack must be cleaned, properly stored, and correctly used. The meticulous care and management of the horses, with a special focus on the distinct characteristics of stallions, is instilled with great discipline. Naturally, riding training is also a key part of the education: under the guidance of experienced riders, students undergo daily riding lessons on school stallions. In the early years, these lessons are conducted on the lunge line to perfect balance and posture with patience and precision. The curriculum also includes lessons on the history and traditions of the Spanish Riding School as well as classical horsemanship.
If the eleve is positively evaluated by the chief riders, they are entrusted with a young stallion, which they must train to performance level. At this stage, they earn the title of assistant rider and transition into the "Reitbahn" under the supervision of the chief riders and riders. This stage of training typically takes another six years and requires extraordinary discipline, patience, and sensitivity from young riders.
The full journey to achieving the rank of rider takes between eight and twelve years, a path that only the very best successfully complete.
To become a chief rider, extensive experience and outstanding achievements as both a rider and a teacher are essential. This esteemed position is reserved for only a select few. They are the ones that bear the responsibility for maintaining the institution’s high training standards. The oral transmission of knowledge remains one of the many deeply rooted traditions that have earned the Spanish Riding School worldwide renown for generations.