The Principles of the Classical Haute École Airs Above the Ground

The Classical Haute École (High School) Airs Above the Ground (known in French as les airs relevés, and in German as die Schulsprünge) represent the supreme physical, artistic, and athletic summit of classical equitation. Preserved across five centuries within the four living European classical academies—the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, the Cadre Noir of Saumur, the Royal Andalusian School of Jerez, and the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Queluz—these breathtaking movements transcend ordinary equestrian sport. Dividing into ground airs (the Pesade, Levade, and Mezair) and leaping school jumps (the Courbette, Croupade, Ballotade, and Capriole), the Airs Above the Ground are the ultimate manifestation of total collection, wherein the horse channels explosive hydraulic power through deeply bent haunches to defy gravity with sovereign majesty, balance, and trust.

1. Historical Foundations: Battlefield Combat vs. Academic Perfection

The origins and evolutionary purpose of the Airs Above the Ground represent a rich dialogue between military functionalism and Renaissance artistic idealism:

1. The Renaissance Martial Evolution

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, European cavalry combat shifted from heavily armored medieval knights on massive draft chargers to agile, maneuverable light cavalry mounted on Iberian and Neapolitan war horses. Renaissance treatises often described leaps as tactical battle maneuvers—using the capriole to kick away surrounding infantry, or the levade to protect the rider from sword thrusts. However, classical masters recognized that in the chaos of muddy combat, executing a high school leap was impractical. Instead, the Airs evolved as the **supreme gymnastic proving ground of the war horse**, demonstrating absolute submission, agility, and supernatural physical strength.

2. The Codification by Pluvinel and La Guérinière

• Antoine de Pluvinel (1555–1620): Introduced the single and double pillars in Paris, allowing trainers to teach the Levade, Courbette, and Capriole from the ground with precision without exhausting the horse under saddle.
• François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751): Formulated the exact biomechanical criteria and geometrical angles for every classical air in his 1733 École de Cavalerie, establishing standards that remain unbroken today.

3. The Four Living Classical European Academies

1. The Spanish Riding School of Vienna (Austria, Est. 1572): Preserving the pure Austrian Lipizzaner tradition, famous for the static Levade, Courbette, and mounted Capriole.
2. The Cadre Noir of Saumur (France, Est. 1828): Representing the French school of Légèreté, schooling the Courbette, Croupade, and Capriole on Thoroughbred and Selle Français bloodlines.
3. Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre (Jerez, Spain, Est. 1973): Demonstrating the classical airs on purebred Pura Raza Española (PRE) stallions.
4. Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre (Queluz, Portugal, Est. 1979): Preserving the eighteenth-century Picaria Real traditions on Alter Real baroque horses.

2. The Ground Airs: Pesade, Levade, and Mezair

The ground airs represent the ultimate expression of static carrying power, where the horse lowers its haunches and raises its forehand without leaping into the air:

1. The Pesade (The Preparatory Ground Air)

The horse raises its forehand off the ground to an angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to horizontal. The hind legs remain relatively straight, supporting the elevated forehand momentarily before descending. The pesade serves as the introductory stage in schooling the horse to lift its forehand.

2. The Levade (The Supreme Test of Haunch Flexion)

The levade is not a rearing horse; it is the ultimate physical manifestation of Hankenbeugung (deep bending of the haunches):

• Elevation Angle: The horse raises its forehand to an angle of strictly 30 to 35 degrees relative to horizontal.
• Haunch Flexion: The lumbosacral joint, hips, stifles, and hocks flex to their absolute anatomical limit. The croup sinks deeply, carrying 100% of the horse’s total body mass on the hindquarters.
• Foreleg Position: The front legs are drawn up tightly and symmetrically against the chest.
• Duration: The horse holds this static, trembling sculpture of dynamic equilibrium for 3 to 5 seconds before lowering its forehand gently to the ground without dropping or stumbling.

3. The Mezair

A dynamic classical air consisting of a succession of low levades executed in forward motion. The horse raises its forehand, takes a springy forward bound on its hind legs, lands, and immediately rises into another levade, advancing in rhythmic steps.

3. The Leaping Airs: Courbette, Croupade, Ballotade, and Capriole

The leaping airs require explosive dynamic propulsion, where the horse launches its entire body into the air:

1. The Courbette (The Forward Leaps on Haunches)

The horse sinks deeply into a levade, then without allowing its front legs to touch the ground, executes three to five consecutive forward leaps on its hind legs alone. The forehand remains suspended in the air at a steady 45-degree angle while the hind legs spring forward in unison.

2. The Croupade (The Tucked Jump)

The horse springs vertically into the air from all four legs simultaneously, rising to a horizontal body plane. At the apex of the jump, the hind legs are drawn up tightly beneath the belly, so that the hind shoes are hidden from view.

3. The Ballotade (The Half-Kick Jump)

An aerial jump identical in flight trajectory to the croupade, but at the apex of the jump, the horse flexes its hocks so that the iron shoes of both hind hooves are clearly visible from behind, positioned horizontally beneath the tail without kicking out.

4. The Capriole (The Sovereign Crown of the High School)

The capriole is the most breathtaking and demanding school jump in equestrian art:

1. The Launch (Impulse Physics): From a highly collected piaffe, the horse compresses its hindquarters like a coiled hydraulic spring, generating an instantaneous launch impulse ($J = \int F \, dt$) exceeding 15,000 Newtons.
2. The Apex: At the highest point of flight—with the horse’s body suspended completely horizontal at 1.2 to 1.5 meters above the ground—the forelegs remain tucked tightly against the chest.
3. The Strike: The horse delivers an explosive, simultaneous horizontal kick backward with both hind legs, extending the hind limbs parallel to the ground like a lightning strike.
4. The Landing: The horse withdraws its hind legs and lands softly and symmetrically on all four feet, dissipating kinetic energy through the digital flexor tendons into a calm walk or halt.

4. Comprehensive Comparative Matrix of the Classical Haute École Airs

The table below provides a detailed biomechanical and structural comparison of the classical Airs Above the Ground:

5. Lipizzaner Foundation Dynasties and Classical Specialization

At the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Lipizzaner stallions are selected for specific airs based on their hereditary pedigree lineages:

• The Conversano Line: Black and bay foundation ancestors transmitting immense jumping power, dominating the Capriole.
• The Maestoso Line: Celebrated for massive bone density, deep hock flexion, and sovereign Levade and Courbette capability.
• The Favory and Neapolitano Lines: Famed for noble Haute École expression in the Piaffe, Passage, and Ballotade.

6. Pedagogical Progression: From Pillar Work to Ridden Airs

Training a horse for the Airs Above the Ground requires years of patient, systematic conditioning:

1. Stage 1: In-Hand Piaffe Mastery (Handarbeit): The horse must achieve a rhythmically flawless, highly collected piaffe in hand, demonstrating voluntary haunch flexion and absolute mental calmness.
2. Stage 2: The Double Pillars (Les Piliers): Positioned between the two wooden pillars with padded side reins, the horse learns to compress its frame and lift its forehand into the levade or spring into the croupade in response to light whip touches.
3. Stage 3: Mounted Execution with Passive Rider Balance: The rider must maintain a completely neutral, vertical, and motionless seat, allowing the horse to execute the aerial leap without being pulled off balance by the reins or braced with the legs.

7. Morphological Prerequisites and Breed Specialization

Executing the Airs Above the Ground is anatomically impossible for most modern riding horses. It requires specialized morphological adaptations found predominantly in classical baroque breeds (Lipizzaners, Pura Raza Española, Alter Real, and Kladrubers):

• Short, Dense Lumbar Coupling: Provides an immovable osseous bridge capable of supporting 100% of body mass during the levade without spinal sagging.
• Naturally Sloping Croup (40°–45°): Pre-aligns the pelvis for deep joint flexion (Hankenbeugung).
• Strong, Clean Hock Articulations: Broad, dense tarsal joints capable of withstanding immense compressive loads.

8. Actionable Checklist for Classical Equitation Academies and Scholars

To evaluate and preserve the authenticity of the Haute École Airs, classical practitioners should execute the following operational sequence:

1. Verify Flawless In-Hand Piaffe Prior to Airs Schooling: Never ask for a levade or capriole until the horse can perform 20 strides of rhythmic, self-carried in-hand piaffe.
2. Audit Levade Elevation Angle (Strictly 30° to 35°): Ensure the horse does not rear upright (exceeding 45°), but rather lowers its croup and flexes its hocks deeply.
3. Inspect Capriole Horizontal Body Flight: Verify that the horse’s spine remains parallel to the arena floor at the peak of the leap, with hind legs kicking straight out horizontally.
4. Conduct Regular Tarsal & Lumbar Radiographic Screening: Verify the complete absence of osteochondrosis or tarsal osteoarthritis in breeding and school stallions.
5. Maintain Calm Mental Demeanor: The horse must execute the airs with quiet ears and a soft mouth, never exhibiting fear, tail swishing, or frantic tension.

9. Conclusion: The Sovereign Crown of Classical Dressage

The Classical Haute École Airs Above the Ground represent the pinnacle of equine athletic power and human horsemanship. In these majestic leaps, the horse transforms into a creature of myth and beauty—a willing partner rising effortlessly above the earth in a breathtaking celebration of strength, balance, and harmony.