Where did you get yours? New - Used?? What did you use it for - hunt, show, parade?? How much did you spend?
Thanks!
All of my habits are for hunting and showing.
My Mears habit, which I had custom-made about 5 years ago, is med-weight black calvary twill. It cost about $850.
I purchased a navy melton wool Caldene habit from the Old Habit in Marshall, VA about 4 years ago, for $500 or $600, I don’t really remember. Not custom-made for me, but it fits decently. The apron could be a bit longer.
I picked up a Roberts & Carroll black habit, made in 1933, at the Middleburg Tack Exchange (MTE), also about 4 years ago, for $450. I sold it to my friend last year.
3 years ago, I bought a tweed Caldene cubbing habit from the MTE for $375, a gray twill 1920s Bernard Weatherill habit w/matching britches for $250, and a 1910s green pinstripe melton habit for $250.
I bought a black Busvine melton apron from MTE last year for $150, to go with a black melton hunt jacket that I have for really muddy hunting days.
I bought a 1930s navy Roberts & Carroll heavy calvary twill jacket from an eBay UK seller this year, for about $150, and a navy sloped front med-weight calvary twill Mears jacket from another eBay UK seller for $115, and am going to make aprons to match them over the Christmas holiday.
As you can tell, there is a wide variety of pricing. Well-made custom habits from Mears and Caldene (or now from whomever bought Caldene) will currently run you about $900 +/- with the exchange rate. Used habits from the top makers (Busvine, Roberts & Carroll, Bernard Weatherill, etc.) in the more modern styles will go for somewhere around $450-550, and the older styles $250-400.
Holy Crap…Wow - what a collection you have!!! Thank you so much for the information.
A related question- where can you buy sidesaddles?
A variety of places. I buy and sell them. You can also try the Side Saddlery at http://www.sidesaddle.com/store/saddles/saddles.html, or Sue Tobin of Sidesaddle Heaven at http://www.sidesaddleheaven.com/pages/saleslist.htm. The Middleburg Tack Exchange usually has one or two for sale. http://www.middleburgtack.com. Ebay also sometimes has ones for sale, but you have to be careful that it is in good shape and the tree is sound.
My habit came to me via my ‘Sidesaddle Fairy Godmother’. About $400 I think. Way less than it is worth. Anyway it was origonally custom made for Mrs Paul Mellon in Sept '44. (Gertz on 5th Ave NYC) It’s all on the label inside the pocket. It’s a navy twill and just lovely. Really hangs nicely. And the history…wow.
Any chance anyone has a photo or a link to one with her wearing it? I believe that she hunted in Virginia. Or any other information about this one?
ETA - now that I re-read SidesaddleRider’s list, I wonder if mine is Calvary Twill and not Navy. How can you tell? The color is Navy so maybe I am confused?
Ooh, sidesaddle is so cool! On my wishlist for things to try one day.
It’s probably a navy (midnight) calvary twill. Calvary twill is a type of material, with very small “lines” and closely knitted. It should be pretty heavy duty and able to stand up to wear.
I haven’t seen a photograph of Mrs. Mellon riding sidesaddle, although there was an oil portrait done of her. There might be one in the Sporting Library. I’ll have to look next time I’m there.
(oh, if you ever want to sell the habit, let me know.;))
Passing the info along . Beresford Gallery in Unionville Pa has opened up a hunt closet and has severeal side saddle habits for sale . I don’t know the sizes but they looked lovely. Apologies if this is not appropriate to post.
[QUOTE=StellaTMK;3703802]
My habit came to me via my ‘Sidesaddle Fairy Godmother’. [/QUOTE]
I WANNA SIDESADDLE FAIRY GODMOTHERRRRRRR!
[QUOTE=equusvilla;3705044]
I WANNA SIDESADDLE FAIRY GODMOTHERRRRRRR![/QUOTE]
She is wonderful! I met her on a hunt-pace (she was riding aside) and started peppering this poor lady with sidesaddle questions and here I am a few years later. (She is probably regretting it) She has helped me find a saddle, meet new people, try new things, gather proper equipment, exposed me to SS clinics with wonderful instructors, invited me to history demonstrations and is a general wealth of information!
I hope I can eventually help someone get started like she has helped me…Pay it foward!
How large are you? I have two (one homemade one made in London. I’m 5’3" and 108#) that haven’t seen use since I bought (X- for which my former horse husband dropped the horses for and now thinks he is practicing for the world cup) Never buy something that floats that your husband ‘might’ enjoy…Grrr it’s like buying the ‘other’ women for him as a gift!!!
[QUOTE=5;3706280]
How large are you? I have two (one homemade one made in London. I’m 5’3" and 108#) that haven’t seen use since I bought (X- for which my former horse husband dropped the horses for and now thinks he is practicing for the world cup) Never buy something that floats that your husband ‘might’ enjoy…Grrr it’s like buying the ‘other’ women for him as a gift!!![/QUOTE]
Oh - that is so sweet of you to offer…but I am 5’6" and weight 135…so I can guarantee that I could not squeeze into your tiny suit!
I do have some very good news though - one of my former Saddleseat instructors used to ride aside and she said that if I come across a used side saddle that fits my horse - she would be more than happy to instruct me! YEAH!!! In our classes (saddleseat) we are allowed to compete in any class riding aside. Almost everything is falling into place! I just wish that sidesaddles were not 3 times as expensive as our saddleseat saddles are!
Kind of a long story - but worth the read:
I had an older show mare that I really trusted. I was thinking that she is the one I would learn on. Well - sadly she died 2 weeks ago. It was very sudden and I was heartbroken. I had another horse in mind to use - but there were some issues…and here is the short version of his story:
He was a show horse that had some lameness issues. A big barn either donated him to someone who stripped him of his papers and sent him through the local auction - or the big barn did…either way - by the time he was auctioned - he was being crooned as a dressage horse. I had a lady who boarded her horses at our barn and she was prone to buy freaky horses at the auction and she bought this boy. The minute he came off the trailer - I informed her that he was not a dressage horse - but an American Saddlebred. He still had his show shoes on and his mane roached all the way back. 3 weeks later he started to limp… :0( My boarder loved this horse though - he was a real sweetie and so beautiful. His Neg. Coggions had his registered name on it - so we knew who he was.
Well a year later - my boarder suffered a terrible personal tragedy and ended up just signing over the horse to me. I was not sure if I could get him sound - but he was already part of our family and I was going to do everything I could… a year later - he is now reregistered in my name (a long and stressful process!) and right now - he IS sound. The first time I rode him I was elated by such a soft trot - posting would be an option!!!
I think God planned all of this …replacing one horse for the other…and including the fact that my instructor has SS experience! I think also that baby steps could revive such an elegant disipline of riding. I am not an expert rider and I am not a trainer … if people see me in the ring riding aside - they will know that they can do it too.
sorry this was so long…
I think you will find AMSaddlebreds very fine sidesaddle horses.
I learned on a retired show mare back in the 1960’s. She was wonderful. But she also knew I was a greenie. She had fun pulling all kinds of tricks on me. She was 5 gaited and would go along very nicely and then she would start off at the rack and scare the daylights out of me.
Hey at 15 I was not real sharp at gaited riding.
Most of the ex show horses become sound after removing the heavy shoes and going bare footed for a year or so.
There are Saddleseat sidesaddles but they are not as plentiful as Hunt seat sidesaddles. They do turn up now and then. Martin &Martin built lots of them but some were using them for Hunt seat sidesaddles and they broke the gullet. A Saddleseat show type sidesaddle has no off side D rings for Sandwich cases. They are also much lighter in weight. Less iron on the tree.They have thinner panels also. Most often they have leather covered panels. Barnsby sold lots of them in the deep South too.
My friend in High School in the 60’s had an ASB gelding that could do anything. she rode him Saddleseat astride and sidesaddle and Western and he also went Hunter Jumper. Head position depended on what bridle he had on. Western and Hunt he dropped his head. Saddleseat with the double bridle on he held it up and stately.
Smart fellow.
The rescued ASB’s seem to know well that they were saved. I know women who have
some of them and they are so good and so kind hearted. Especially with children.
For Saddleseat sidesaddle you can wear the same outfit the regular Saddleseat riders wear with an apron contrasting or matching the Daycoat. My hat is off to you for giving this fellow a good home.
Regards, sadmakr
Would that be a rescued horse that I know, sadlmakr? :winkgrin:
Mine was custom made for me by a local seamstress. It’s for hunt and show. I think the fabric ran me around $125, and she charged me $45 to make it. We adapted the Suitability pattern - there’s way too much fabric to the apron, so she trimmed it down a bit.
Yes I do mean the ones you are thinking of.
I wish I had the facilities to save several of them. But since I do not have my farm any more I can only wish.
They are so smart. They know when it is show time and when it is “at ease” time. They can be a backyard pet or they can bring the house down at a horse show.
Most of the ones I have known were real hams.
Regards, sadlmakr
Last weeks issue of COTH was a sidesaddle riders dream come true. Some lovely photos of elegant ss riders from the past.
The kicker was the subject of the article - the old fashioned advice about needing a groom, on what side he should ride, how to behave, whether a “lady” should be jumping or not, that sort of thing.
I believe the quotes were from either old manuals or magazines or something like that. It was really educational for someone like me (someone who has never ridden ss but just gushes when she sees ss riders and wants to hunt ss before she croaks). It was also just a really entertaining and well written article that left me smiling and shaking my head.
I bow low before all of you in homage - gushing about how lovely and elegant all y’all look. 
If any of you don’t subscribe but want to read the article I’m sure you could obtain it on-line somehow. Well worth the effort.
Anyone interested in seeing the Victorian perspective of sidesaddle, would enjoy reading these two books available to download from Google.
Riding and Driving for Women by Belle Beach
The Horsewoman by Alice M. Hayes
I’ll have to see if I can get a copy of the COTH article. I’ve been reading up to help pass the winter. I even went so far as to buy a stirrup… but no saddle or habit yet 
That could easily be taken care of, you know…
