5/17/2023 0 Comments Sidesaddle jumping line drawing![]() ![]() Long skirts could get caught in stirrups, causing women to be dragged- “ no article of riding dress has proved such a death-trap as the skirt,” wrote Alice Hayes in her 1903 guide, The Horsewoman. The one factor still causing havoc, safety-wise, was attire. In 1915, side saddle equestrienne Esther Stace cleared a six-foot-six barrier at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. This design change gave women much more stability in the saddle, allowing them to participate in spirited hunts and jump tall fences. This design allowed the rider to control her own horse, and made her less likely to fall off-but was still less stable than riding astride.Ī major side saddle innovation came circa 1830, in the form of the “leaping head,” a second pommel placed at the top of the left thigh. It used a stirrup rather than a footrest, placed the rider facing forward, and secured the right leg with a pommel. In the 16th century, Catherine de’ Medici pioneered a more practical, manageable side saddle design. Women required assistance when mounting and dismounting, and would need to be led around rather than controlling the horse themselves. Initially it took the form of a chair placed on the horse’s back to face one side. In the wake of this very proper journey, the side saddle came to be regarded as a handy tool for the preservation of female modesty. Madame La Comtesse de Saint Geran riding side saddle in the 17th century. Because of the need to preserve her virtue-or, in plainer terms, “ protect the royal hymen”-Anne rode with both legs to one side. ![]() Its origins have been traced to 1382, when 15-year-old Anne of Bohemia journeyed across Europe on horseback to wed King Richard II. Side saddle has been around for centuries, born of a need to preserve female modesty in the age of mandatory long skirts. Liggett is the president of the International Side Saddle Organization (ISSO), a group of horse lovers who like to ride “aside” in addition to astride. At every expo, show, and leisure ride she attends, Liggett is an ambassador for side saddle, aiming to entice dubious riders to take a seat and see how it feels. “It” is side saddle, the practice of riding a horse with both legs on one side. “If they look like they’re a rider, we con them into sitting down and giving it a try.” “ I don’t care the age, the size, the shape,” she says. (Image: Public Domain)Īt the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo last weekend, Shelly Liggett stood at the front of her booth, waiting for a woman-any woman-to walk by. Elisabeth of Austria clearing a fence side saddle like it ain’t no thang. ![]()
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