I have been regurarly visiting the SRS morning trainings since 1999 when I moved to Hungary. The riding has changed a lot. Now you can see sawing,busy hands etc. to really make clear that the horses head should stay where told and the nose down. I hate to say it cause I still adore some of the riders but funnily its been the older ones using the hand a lot.
I know this thread is older, but I am just now reading it. I have gone to Vienna a few times over the years and watched the SRS morning training rides. I was there in May 2010, and I was rather surprised this year to observe some see-sawing going on now and again, and did not know what to make of it. I guess that they now consider this acceptable to do??? I would have thought that any see-sawing for whatever reason would be thought of as a negative thing in classical equitation - so what gives with this? Are any of the other classical riders/schools doing this too? I had forgotten about this observation until I read your post just now.
