buck22 and SmartAlex,
Thank you both for the book links. I really enjoy the old hunting books and had no idea that I could access online versions! I have many of the old ones, but none of the Lady author’s. What a treat! Spent much, too much, time reading them last night and will continue tonight. 
SmartAlex, thanks for the link to Ladies on Horseback. I stayed up well past my bed time reading it.
I had to laugh at the letters to the editor collected in the epilogue. CoTH style flaming, delivered by snail mail, LOL.
I really enjoyed reading the afore mentioned book “Ladies on Horseback.”
However you must realise tha it was written in 1880. The Mayhew and C&W sidesaddles with the safety breakaway stirrup attachements, and the Copes and Scotts safety breakway stirrups had not yet been invented.
These safety breakaways have been the lifesaving inventions that did save many ladies from being dragged in the Huntfield.
There are many sidesaddles made in the Asian market that have no safety breakaways on them at all. Avoid these if at all possible. There are breakaway stirrups now on the market of different designs but do not ride without some form of safety breakaway stirrups or breakaway assemblies on the saddle.
That book had many very good pieces of advice for any lady who rides.
There are many very good books on the subject of sidesaddle riding. Make good use of which ever ones you can borrow from the Library or from other sidesaddle riders.
See what is available on Kindle or Nook and study them. It is good to get advice from those who have lived and ridden in the original form of sidesaddle.
I do not know what others are available but it might be worth the search to see what is out there.
Kind regards,
sadlmakr
[QUOTE=sadlmakr;6014380]
I really enjoyed reading the afore mentioned book “Ladies on Horseback.”
However you must realise tha it was written in 1880. The Mayhew and C&W sidesaddles with the safety breakaway stirrup attachements, and the Copes and Scotts safety breakway stirrups had not yet been invented.
These safety breakaways have been the lifesaving inventions that did save many ladies from being dragged in the Huntfield.
There are many sidesaddles made in the Asian market that have no safety breakaways on them at all. Avoid these if at all possible. There are breakaway stirrups now on the market of different designs but do not ride without some form of safety breakaway stirrups or breakaway assemblies on the saddle.
That book had many very good pieces of advice for any lady who rides.
There are many very good books on the subject of sidesaddle riding. Make good use of which ever ones you can borrow from the Library or from other sidesaddle riders.
See what is available on Kindle or Nook and study them. It is good to get advice from those who have lived and ridden in the original form of sidesaddle.
I do not know what others are available but it might be worth the search to see what is out there.
Kind regards,
sadlmakr[/QUOTE]
Always, when reading the old books you should keep in mind that much has changed.(especially veterinary care , stable management and tack). I would not rely on them for beginner instruction, however they do have merit and are well worth reading. If the exellent new books are read as well, and you have good instruction from someone with experience in the field you choose ,I think you can be very well rounded.
I’ve ridden sidesaddle a few times and I was told it is easiest to get on like you are riding regular style using a mounting block then swing the one leg back over.
We seem to lack burly men to hoist us into the saddle, and I rode on an arabian and not on a steeplechaser! Googly moogly.
One of those “Burley men” hoisted me into the sidesaddle with so much vigor I almost went over the other side. But it is nice to have a Gentleman help in mounting sidesaddle.
Some of the old books are pre 1900 and do not have as much of the knowledge there is in the later books. But we can learn from the experiences of the Ladies of that era. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Knowing what to do in case of a spooky horse who wants to rear with you is good. But even better is not to ride a horse like that at all.
Reading up on Sidesaddle is great as you can glean what applies to you and what doesn’t. It is best to have a mentor who rides aside and follow her guidence.
There are so many styles of habits from foreign countries and even from our deep South and West. Depending on the sidesaddle you do get you have many different styles and eras to choose from.
Anyhow, I think the sun is trying to shine through the fog and I am going to go and soak some of it up.
sadlmakr
JMHO!
Let me be absolutely clear on this…from YOUR backs standpoint…do not take up sidesaddle riding…ever. :no: I’m sorry.
Yes there are caveats…and some “unless” situations…but in general I vote an emphatic NO. :sadsmile:
Too much concussion that can not be dissipated the way you can in 2 point or by using other limbs/joints. Remember it’s cumulative concussion over a lifetime that ruins us. Do not be in a hurry to use up your lifetime amount of alloted concussion! Those of us with bad backs have a finite time we’re gonna be functional and too many variables that can ruin us…like horsie takes a bad step thing. EVERYTHING you do to buy time will be invaluable. Life is short; good health means improved quality of life! More hunting!
I’m sorry, I can tell you want to try this. Try it…just don’t DO it…much.
I love you and want you out with us for as long as possible…cuz you carry the flask and we need you!! :winkgrin::D:lol:
For the most part I agree with you Watery Glen. But each one of us is different in personality and physique. What works for one will not necessarily work for another. If one has compression issues with the discs in the back then sidesaddle might not be a good thing to do. However I have hip socket issues and can not ride astride a horse for very long without great pain.
The sidesaddles have given me a way to ride and not hurt. But in these Golden Years it is getting harder to ride at all. What I like about the sidesaddle is the fact my back stays straight. With the low back issues making themselves known, I can’t sit astride as my low back, L-5 tells me not to do that anymore.
It all depends in the rider’s physical condition and the horse you will be riding. I only choose to go trail riding now. I do not do jumping or cross country. The horse I choose to ride is as slow as I am.
I just will not give up being with horses and at least riding on the trails. This way I can keep it up until I can’t get up in a sidesaddle any more.
As with all things, use reason and common sense. Try it out and if it doesn’t work for you , at least you tried.
I do not advocate the use of the sidesaddle across the board. It just doesn’t work for everybody. But it is a way for some orthopedically challenged to extend their riding days.
JMHO
sadlmakr
Absolutely!
Thank you for mentioning some of the caveats and “unless” situations…quite true.
[QUOTE=wateryglen;6021210]
Let me be absolutely clear on this…from YOUR backs standpoint…do not take up sidesaddle riding…ever. :no: I’m sorry.
Yes there are caveats…and some “unless” situations…but in general I vote an emphatic NO. :sadsmile:
Too much concussion that can not be dissipated the way you can in 2 point or by using other limbs/joints. Remember it’s cumulative concussion over a lifetime that ruins us. Do not be in a hurry to use up your lifetime amount of alloted concussion! Those of us with bad backs have a finite time we’re gonna be functional and too many variables that can ruin us…like horsie takes a bad step thing. EVERYTHING you do to buy time will be invaluable. Life is short; good health means improved quality of life! More hunting!
I’m sorry, I can tell you want to try this. Try it…just don’t DO it…much.
I love you and want you out with us for as long as possible…cuz you carry the flask and we need you!! :winkgrin::D:lol:[/QUOTE]
I find that riding aside HELPS my lower back… heck, I’m only in my 20s and it feels better than the pain I get in my lower back every time i get after I ride astride.
As sadlmakr said, I wouldn’t advocate it for everything and anyone across the board. I ride on a H/J circuit that’s been nice enough to allow me to show against regular astride riders… all I know is that I don’t go home sore anymore.
As Side-saddleRider said. Sorry Hinderella - came back to this thread a bit late.
[QUOTE=SidesaddleRider;6011375]
Start reading from page 125 here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=NtY8AAAAYAAJ&dq=side-saddle&pg=PA125#v=onepage&q=side-saddle&f=false
But basically, the lady will stand to the left of the saddle, facing forward, and will bend her left knee and place her left foot in a man’s hand. She will grasp the upright head in the right hand, then spring up on her right foot while the man lifts her up by means of her left foot. The lady has to straighten her left leg as she is going up, as well as turning to the left, whereby she can then settle on the seat. She will then place her right leg over the upper pommel and her left leg under the leaping head. The man will then place her foot in the stirrup, and help her adjust her toe elastic and straighten her apron.
It takes some practice to do correctly, not to mention requiring a man strong enough to lift you. ;)[/QUOTE]
Napoles, that method works in theory. I have yet to master it. I used a mounting block for years. When I did get a man to help me mount, I mentioned when I almost got tossed over the horse. Now I use a three step plastic mounting block. Yes I am chicken. When old age and wisdom come into one’s life the courage goes out the window.
Doreen Houblon’s book “Sidesaddle” has good advice on mounting.
My daughter has that book and she has “To Whom The Goddess”. I also have “Horsemanship” by Hayes. She has a different view than the others.
Also “Riding and Driving for Women” by Belle Beach is anoher one with very good drection on riding aside.
I found some of my best books at Alibris.com used books.
You can check at your local library for these books. Some really do have them.
May I drop in, revive this thread with some new (silly) questions about sidesaddle riding?
-ruffles stack of papers, clears throat-
MrB and I were talking the other day about sidesaddle. Not sure how it came up, but he’s not horsey at all, and I’ve never ridden aside so we’re pretty clueless… In particular, questions about the physics of it came to mind… Not as much about riding, but in falling off!
Is it fairly easy to become unseated while riding aside? My first instinct is to say, of course! But then, the topic of falling off automatically brings up the thought of the emergency dismount. To me, an emergency dismount is rather easy to execute once i realize that it’s necessary (barring any outside factors like terrain and not wanting to get dumped off a steep slope or, ahem, small lake…) I suppose I have practice in the art of parting ways in motion from an astride position.
In ways the sidesaddle looks unbalanced (from what I’m used to, astride) and would be so foreign to me that I would probably have trouble staying on through the gaits. But when it’s safer to bail in an emergency? Does the horn (I apologize if I’m using saddle terms incorrectly) impede the dismount?
MrB may not have understood quite where the horn hooks around the top leg, but he thought trying to dismount from an astride position would be more difficult than 'slipping ’ from one side. I tried to explain how you kinda vault/launch yourself off during an emergency dismount, but he didn’t quite buy it, lol!
Oh. Also, which is easier to sit through/ride out: a stopper/ quick stop movement in sidesaddle or astride? How about a quick duck to the left or right in sidesaddle versus astride? Is a spook to one side easier to ride out than the other while aside? I think MrB thought sidesaddle quick stop would be easier than astride, but I thought the opposite!
I think our whole conversation convinced me of two things: I need to get him on a horse, and me in a sidesaddle!!
Thanks in advance for insight and sharing experiences!!
The more modern side saddles (anything after laterish 1800’s) have two pommels, or horns. One against the inside of your right knee and the other on top of your left leg. (Assuming we’re not dealing with an off-side saddle) Because of this design, you are VERY secure. So emergency dismounts are incredibly difficult, at least for me…well maybe just the planned ones.:winkgrin: Joking aside, I’d much rather ride a dirty horse aside than astride. My only concern would be a dirty stop and spinning to the left, pitching me over the right side (which is typically how I fall off aside.) I’ve evented up through CCI* astride and now foxhunt aside and I’ve never been happier!
Indeed my college roommate back in the 70s found out one summer when learning the ropes aside that one can get dumped in this manner, and it hurts. Still feels that sore shoulder all these years later. Of course, there was a reason the horse was called Band-Aid.
I have ridden sidesaddles for 45 years. Yes with a bad horse you can get dumped out of a sidesaddle. The top pommel does not hook over the right leg. The left knee does come up under the leaping horn to brace against it. I have stayed with many nasty horses in the sidesaddle. I did have to emergency dismount one time. I pulled the left leg back out of the leaping horn and pushed off from the top horn with my right hand. I jumped off to the left and cleared the top horn with my right knee. I was younger then and landed on my feet. I am considerably older now and do not land on my feet. I also do not bounce like I did a few years ago. So now I do not attempt to ride a bad horse in sidesaddle. I now prefer to ride a “Lady broke” horse. A properly fitted sidesaddle is very secure. But if one has to bail out it can be done safely. In my old age I have many “Hurts” that my body is reminding me about from my days in my youth when I was being very adventurous in riding. My right hip socket is very sore from the day when I had a horse go over backwards on me. That was 48 years ago. The body never forgets. So do your best not to be in that situation. I will not ride a bad horse nowdays.
There are some very well written books on Sidesaddle Riding that have emergencey dismounts described in them.
Use your head and the body will not get hurt.
no affiliation with this ad, posting because the size for horse and human makes it a really nice find
[QUOTE=sadlmakr;6025553]
Napoles, that method works in theory…[/QUOTE]
It does work in practice for me. :yes: I think it’s all about the spring.
Plus in our show rings, where you are lined up in order beside the other horses, you have no other option. There are no mounting blocks to avail of.
Spare a thought for the poor judges who have to get legged up (in this way) onto large numbers of strange horses during the course of the day’s classes.
In relation to emergency dismounts and falling out of side-saddles, the only time when I felt unstable in a side-saddle was on a young, over-excited horse that kept flinging her head in the air and attempting to dislodge me.
I have seen some scary happenings with horses threatening to rear while ridden side-saddle. A known rearer should never be ridden aside as it would be all to easy to be trapped underneath if it went over backwards. 
I ride sidesaddle fairly regularly and found it quite easy to pick up. I was a touch nervous the very first time I did it but once I found my seat/balance, I was set. I’ve done all kinds of things since I started a few years ago. Trail ridden, jumped at hunter jumper shows, and ridden dressage tests against astride riders. This year we qualified to go to the dressage Championships and ended up reserve champion against some pretty stiff competition. It was a lot of fun though.
I ride a 16.2HH warmblood mare who can be pretty hot & a little bit spooky sometimes and I’ve never thought I was going to fall off. Ok maybe once over a fence, I got a bad distance and felt like I was going to get ejected! lol
In general on the flat, it literally is as comfy as or comfier than riding astride. Jumping definitely takes some more practice and I do find my back is sore afterwards…but then again, I have a horse with a very round jump. Not idea for a sidesaddle o/f horse. It does take awhile to build up the stamina to be able to ride aside for longer than 10-15 minutes when you first start. I found that my right leg muscles had to get stronger and get used to being used so differently. I also notice that I need a good warmup before we really get to work or else my leg muscles get a bit sore.
