sidesaddle

• Illustration — Equestrian portrait of Catherine the Great, as a young woman, riding sidesaddle. She also rode astride. 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. Medieval depictions show women seated aside with the horse being led by a man, or seated on a small padded seat (a pillion) behind a male rider. Ninth century depictions show a small footrest, or planchette added to the pillion. These designs did not allow a woman to control a horse; she could only be a passenger. In Europe, the sidesaddle developed in part because of cultural norms which considered it unbecoming for a woman to straddle a horse while riding. This was initially conceived as a way to protect the hymen of aristocratic girls, and thus the appearance of their being virgins. Further, long skirts were the usual fashion and riding astride in such attire was often impractical, awkward, and could be viewed as immodest. However, women did ride horses and needed to be able to control their own horses, so there was a need for a saddle designed to allow control of the horse and modesty for the rider. Anne of Bohemia is known to have made the sidesaddle more popular with ladies of the Middle Ages. The type of sidesaddle she used was a chair-like affair where the woman sat sideways on the horse with her feet on a small footrest. The design made it difficult for a woman both to stay on and to 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. A more practical design, developed in the 16th century, has been attributed to Catherine de' Medici. In her design, the rider sat facing forward, hooking her right leg around the pommel of the saddle with a horn added to the near side of the saddle to secure the rider's right knee. The footrest was replaced with a "slipper stirrup", a leather-covered stirrup iron into which the rider's left foot was placed. This saddle allowed the rider both to stay on and to control her own horse, at least at slower speeds. However not all women adopted the sidesaddle at all times. 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 the 1830s, Jules Pellier invented a sidesaddle design with a second, lower pommel. 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. The rider’s right leg goes around the upright, or fixed pommel, which supports the right thigh of the rider when it is lying across the top center of the saddle. The lower right leg rests along the shoulder of the left (near) side of the horse and up against the second pommel (called the leaping head or leaping horn), which lies below the first on the left of the saddle. It is mounted about 20 degrees off the top of the saddle. This pommel is curved gently downward in order to curve over the top of the rider's left thigh and is attached in such a way that it can pivot slightly, to adjust to the individual rider. The rider places her left leg beneath this pommel, with the top of the thigh close or lightly touching it, and places her left foot in a single stirrup on that side. The impact of the second pommel was revolutionary: the additional horn gave women both increased security and additional freedom of movement, which allowed them to stay on at a gallop and even to jump fences while fox hunting and show jumping. With this design, nearly all recreational equestrian pursuits were opened to women yet they could also conform to expectations of modesty. For example a world record in sidesaddle show jumping was set at at a horse show in Sydney, Australia, in 1915. The leaping horn was the last major technological innovation for the sidesaddle and remains the core of basic design even for saddles of modern manufacture made with modern materials.

• Illustration — Modern English sidesaddle riding habit Riding habit The riding habit worn by women riding sidesaddle originally was similar to clothing worn in everyday life. Skirts could be protected with a "safeguard", and elites owned lavish versions of these overskirts. It was not until the second half of the 16th century that a riding habit specifically designed for sidesaddle riding was introduced, though sidesaddle habit design still tended to follow fashion of the day. In 1875, the first safety skirt was introduced and later evolved into the open-sided apron. 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. The sidesaddle apron can be attached to the right foot by a piece of elastic to hold it in place when riding. When dismounted the apron is wrapped behind the legs and attached to a button on the left hip to give the impression of a skirt. 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. The rise of women's suffrage also played a role as women rejected traditional restrictions in their physical activities as well as seeking greater social, political and economic freedoms. However, there remained a place for sidesaddle riding in certain traditional and ceremonial circumstances, and aficionados kept the tradition alive until the sport enjoyed a revival in the 1970s.

• Illustration — Refurbished antique "catalogue" saddle, manufactured circa 1900. These were developed in America and sold to middle class women. Many still exist today. Although sidesaddles are still manufactured today, it is a small niche market, and a new model is quite expensive. Thus, many riders who wish to ride sidesaddle are often found hunting for older saddles at antique shops, estate sales, attics or barn lofts. It is difficult to find an antique sidesaddle that not only fits the rider and horse but also is in good condition. Old sidesaddles usually need reconditioning, sometimes even requiring complete removal of the leather and examination of the tree. Antique sidesaddles are frequently a problem to fit, as many are too narrow for modern horses. Modern sidesaddles are usually based on the Jules Pellier two pommel design. The underlying tree, girthing system, flap or fender design, styling features and type of leather used may differ, however, the structure of the fixed pommel and leaping horn is a consistent design feature across all riding styles. Sidesaddles built on a tree designed for sidesaddle use are properly balanced, but many modern sidesaddles are built on a modified astride tree, which may result in an unbalanced, unridable saddle. Historical reenactment participants, notably those in American Civil War reenactments, also tend to use the two pommel sidesaddle, since the single pommel sidesaddle that was used into mid-19th century is now regarded as creating an insufficiently secure seat for safe riding. Most sidesaddles have a regular girth or cinch, an overgirth that holds the flaps down, and most have either a back cinch or a balancing strap to hold the saddle down in the back and provide additional stability. A breastcollar can be added to stabilize the saddle, and, though seen less often, a crupper. There are few differences in the bridles used for sidesaddle and astride riding. Because riders' hands are farther from the horse's mouth as the riders are seated further back than when astride, bridles may require reins that are a longer than standard astride reins. This is most often a problem for western-style riding with romal reins, which are sized for astride riders and sometimes require extensions for use by sidesaddle riders.

The saddle must fit horse and rider. The sidesaddle tree differs from an astride tree, most notably by the structure of the pommels but also due to a much longer saddle point on the left side of the saddle. Horses are fitted in a manner similar to that of a regular saddle; the gullet must clear the withers, and the bars of the saddle should be the proper width to be comfortable on the horse. The seat is measured for the rider in three places: Length, from the front of the fixed pommel to the end of the cantle; width across the widest part of the seat; and the distance across the narrowest part of the seat, called the "neck". To determine the correct seat length, which is based on the length of the rider's femur, a person sits on a stool or chair with their back and hips against a wall or flat surface, and the length of a saddle is ideally one inch longer than the distance from the wall to the back of the person's knee. Riders can more easily manage a saddle that is a bit too large than one that is too small, though a too-large saddle may leave the rider with an insecure seat.

• Illustration — Queen Elizabeth II, riding sidesaddle, Trooping the Colour, 1986 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. Specialty sidesaddle classes with either traditional equipment or period costume are popular in many equestrian disciplines, including dressage, eventing, show jumping, western pleasure, and saddle seat-style English pleasure. Many horse shows include sidesaddle classes, usually judged on manners and performance of the horse and rider, suitability of specific style, and appointments. Sidesaddle riding has also been revived in the fox hunting field, where the tradition is preserved by sidesaddle devotees. A small number of sidesaddle riders have also taken up steeplechasing with the creation of several side saddle steeplechases in Britain and the US. There have also been some flat racing competitions for sidesaddle riders. 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.

English sidesaddle classes are based on style and norms found in the hunting field before the Second World War. Dress, appointments, riding style, and even the type of horse used are all judged against a formalized standard for an "ideal" appearance. The riding habit in such classes is the formal attire found in the hunting field, starting with a coat and apron. The apron used is based on the open-sided safety apron developed in the late 19th century. The rider wears ordinary breeches or jodhpurs, over which she will wear the apron, which can partially open in the back. The jacket is usually cut a bit longer than a standard riding jacket. A vest, shirt, choker or stock tie, gloves, boots, and riding breeches are similar to those used when riding astride. For classes on the flat, a derby or top hat is traditional. When jumping, however, tradition gives way to safety, and most riders use a modern equestrian helmet, which is often mandatory equipment in competition rules. The saddle seat variation of English sidesaddle, now seen almost exclusively in the United States in certain breed shows, allows riders to emulate the "Park" riders who rode flashy, high-stepping horses on the flat, often in public parks. 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. The shirt and vest will be of the style used in astride saddle seat classes, in that the vest will match either the coat or the coat lining, the shirt is a standard menswear dress shirt, and a "four-in-hand" tie is worn. When show rules permit, some saddle seat style riders adopt a period costume, often based on an antique riding habit from the Victorian era.

• Illustration — Western sidesaddle class The western sidesaddle class is similar to the English class but with a sidesaddle having western design features, and riders wearing western style clothing. Riders generally wear a western-styled apron with belt, worn over some type of breeches or pants, but a modified two-leg chaps design in leather or ultrasuede is sometimes seen, though not legal in some types of competition. Period costumes are also seen in the western show ring. Western riders usually wear a short bolero-style jacket that matches the apron or skirt, often with elaborate decoration, gloves, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. A variation to western-style sidesaddle riding is use of Spanish or Mexican style regalia, often based on historic designs.

• Illustration — Riding sideways (1885) Riding sideways while bareback or on a pack saddle is not uncommon, but this method is distinct from sidesaddle riding. Examples include sitting sideways on very wide-backed draft horses, and sitting sideways on a pack saddle, usually after the load has been removed or reduced.