Sidesaddle
Sidesaddle riding is a form of equestrianism that uses a type of saddle which allows riders, generally female, to sit aside rather than astride an equine.
Sitting aside dates back to antiquity and developed in European countries in the Middle Ages as a way for women in skirts to ride a horse in a modest fashion while also wearing fine clothing.
The earliest depictions of women riding with both legs on the same side of the horse can be seen in Greek vases, sculptures, and Celtic stones.
In Europe, the sidesaddle developed in part because of cultural norms which considered it unbecoming for a woman to straddle a horse while riding.
The design made it difficult for a woman to both stay on and use the reins to control the horse, so the animal was usually led by another rider, sitting astride.
The insecure design of the early sidesaddle also contributed to the popularity of the Palfrey, a smaller horse with smooth ambling gaits, as a suitable mount for women.
Women such as Diane de Poitiers (mistress to Henry II of France) and Marie Antoinette were known to ride astride.
Catherine the Great of Russia went so far as to commission a portrait showing her riding astride wearing a male officer's uniform.
In this design, still in use today, one pommel is nearly vertical, mounted approximately 10 degrees left of top dead center and curved gently to the right and up.
[6] The leaping horn was the last major technological innovation for the sidesaddle and remains the core of basic design even for saddles of contemporary manufacture made with modern materials.
Sidesaddle habits, also known as riding habits, developed as women became more active in the hunting field following the development of the leaping horn.. Skirts were gradually replaced by the apron commonly worn by sidesaddle riders today—which is actually a half skirt worn over breeches, designed so the rider does not sit on any apron fabric.
In the early 20th century, as it became socially acceptable for women to ride astride while wearing split skirts, and eventually breeches, the sidesaddle fell out of general use.
Thus, many riders who wish to ride sidesaddle are often found hunting for older saddles at antique shops, estate sales, attics or barn lofts.
Western riders generally use the romal (a type of long quirt attached to the end of a set of closed reins) to support cues in place of the right leg.
Most sidesaddle designs also force the rider to carry her hands a bit higher and farther from the horse's mouth than in a regular saddle.
The horse used in sidesaddle riding will have additional training to accustom it to the placement of the rider and the use of the whip to replace off side leg commands.
While sidesaddles came to be regarded as a quaint anachronism, some modern riders found new applications in the horse show ring, in historical reenactments, and in parades or other exhibitions.
[17] Riders with certain types of physical disabilities also find sidesaddles more comfortable than riding astride, and they are found useful by some people who have lost part of a leg.
In addition, the sidesaddle has become a part of some therapeutic riding programs, because the design of the saddle provides extra security to certain types of riders.
Dress, appointments, riding style, and even the type of horse used are all judged against a formalized standard for an "ideal" appearance.
The sidesaddle is essentially the same, and the rider may wear almost the same attire as the "hunt" version, an apron with breeches underneath, but with a coat having a noticeably longer cut, sometimes in bright colors, sometimes with a contrasting lining, and either a top hat or a derby.
When show rules permit, some saddle seat style riders adopt a period costume, often based on an antique riding habit from the Victorian era.
Novelist Rita Mae Brown once stated, "If the world were a logical place, men would ride side saddle.
