The country's prestigious Spanish Riding School, for centuries a bastion of masculinity, is modernizing: On Oct.15, the 436-year-old institution officially pre-sented its first female riders-in-training.
奧地利遠近馳名的西班牙式騎術學校，數世紀來一直是男性的堡壘，目前正在現代化：10月15日，這個有436年歷史的機構，正式對外介紹首批受訓女騎師。

The school, which was founded in 1572 and is part of Vienna's former Imperial Hofburg Palace complex, is known for elegant white Lipizzaner stallions. The horses, which are trained to perform complex moves such as springing from their hind legs, draw sell-out crowds in Vienna and on tour abroad.
這所學校創立於1572年，是維也納前霍夫堡皇宮建築群的一環，並以優雅白色的利皮札名駒知名。這些馬接受訓練，可以表演複雜的動作，像後腿騰空躍起，在維也納和海外旅遊時場場客滿。

Allowing women to sit in the saddle marks a distinct break with tradition. But for Elisabeth Guertler, the director, opening up the exclusive club reflects the re-alities of modern life. She told reporters. "Today, ladies and gentlemen both have to earn their keep and prove themselves."'
讓女人坐上利皮札馬的馬鞍，代表打破傳統一大切割。但對該校校長伊莉莎白‧奎特勒，她一手打開這個原本專屬男性的俱樂部，反映現代生活的真實面。她告訴記者：「不管紳士淑女都要自己賺錢，並證明自己有本事。」

The young women making history are 21-year-old Hannah Zeitlhofer, from the Austrian capital, and So-journer Morrell, a 17-year-old British national who grew up in New York.  "I'm very happy --it's my dream come true," Morrell said.  Morrell said she has always loved horses and wrote to the school "out of the blue" after taking a tour of the establishment while on vacation in Vienna with her mother when she was 15.  Zeitlhofer, a broad smile on her face, echoed Morrell's enthusiasm. "I'm still trying to believe it," said Zeitlhofer, who always wanted to become a rider and recently got a degree in equestrian science.
改寫歷史的兩個女人是來自奧地利首都、21歲的漢娜‧翟托赫佛，和17歲在紐約長大的英國人索珍娜‧莫瑞爾。兩人穿一式同款騎士服，頭髮也都往上盤到帽子裡。「我很高興，我的夢想終於成真，」莫瑞爾說。她說她從小熱愛騎馬， 15歲那年和她媽媽到維也納度假時曾到這所學校參觀，「福至心靈」決定寫信給校方。翟托赫佛滿臉堆滿笑容，她和莫瑞爾一樣興奮。「我至今仍不敢相信，」翟托赫佛說，她一直醉心想當騎師，最近還拿了騎術學位。

The competition for the posts is fierce. To qualify for the intense rider training program, which can last up to 10 years, candidates need to be at least 17 years old, have a passport from a European Union country and speak fluent German. Certain physical at-tributes--slender legs that appear long in relation to the upper body--are a must, as are determination and stamina.   Photo shows Austrian horse rider Hannah Zeitlhofer sitting on a Lipizzaner horse in the Spanish Riding School in Vienna October 15.
要搶這榮銜，競爭激烈。候選人要符合可能長達10年的密集騎術訓練，必須至少年滿17歲，持有歐盟會員國護照，德語流利。另須具備某些身體特徵：細長的腿和上半身的比例要顯得修長，這是必要條件，決心和意志力及韌性也很重要。圖為翟托赫佛10月15日在西班牙式騎術學校騎在利皮札馬上的英姿。