Lipizzan - The "airs Above The Ground"

The "airs Above The Ground"

The "airs above the ground" or exercises above the ground are the difficult "high school" dressage movements made famous by the Lipizzans. They include:

• The levade: a position wherein the horse raises up both front legs, standing at a 30 degree angle, entirely on its hind legs in a controlled form that requires a great deal of hindquarter strength. A less difficult but related movement is the pesade, where the horse stands at a 45 degree angle.
• The courbette: a movement where the horse balances on its hind legs before jumping, keeping the forelegs off the ground and hind legs together as it essentially "hops."
• The capriole: a jump in place where the stallion leaps into the air, tucking his forelegs under himself, and kicking out with his hind legs at the height of elevation.
• The croupade and ballotade: predecessors to the capriole. In the croupade, both fore and hind legs are tucked under the body at the height of elevation. In the ballotade, the horse does not kick out, but the shoes of the hind feet are visible if viewed from the rear
• The mezair: A series of successive levades in which the horse lowers its forefeet to the ground before rising again on hindquarters, achieving forward motion. This movement is no longer used at the Spanish Riding School.