The Supervisory Board of the Spanish Riding School was repositioned on Wednesday: The long-time dressage rider and lawyer Michael Enzinger was appointed chairman by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment (BMLUK). The new addition was the business economist and managing director of the agricultural Federal Experimental Management GmbH, Gerhard Draxler, reported. Ilse Hohenegger, the head of the budget department at BMLUK remains on the committee.
The members of the supervisory board from the employee representative body will also remain on the supervisory board, the ministry announced in a press release. The 66-year-old Enzinger, who was, among other things, president of the Vienna Bar Association from 2015 to 2023, is already very familiar with it through his membership on the advisory board of the Spanish Riding School and has known it for many decades. He currently also acts as chairman of the penalty committee of the Austrian Equestrian Association.
“The Lipizzan horses and the Spanish Riding School are the crown jewels of classical horsemanship and therefore a great heritage of the Republic. My job is to preserve this,” the new chairman of the supervisory board was quoted as saying. minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) called for a rapid reorganization of the Riding School: “In addition, the reputation of the Spanish Riding School must be strengthened again and this red-white-red, cultural calling card must be well positioned for the future, both financially and in terms of personnel and organization.” The new term of office is five years and runs until November 25, 2030. The riding school is a company under public law and owned by the federal government.