Female Riding Styles through History 2

At the end of the 18th century and part of the 19th century it was unusual for ladies to follow hounds, although they would often grace their presence suitably attended by a groom. A manual on riding for ladies published in 1826 shows a level-seated saddle, little changed from those used over 200 years ago, but by 1860 the dipped seat had been introduced.

This may have been an attempt to get the rider a little closer to the horse because at that time the 'cut-back' rise through the front of the saddle had not been invented. If the seat was to be level the whole saddle had to be much higher on the horse's back, and would, therefore be more prone to slipping. A design of the sort was likely to give the horse a sore back, because of the friction arising from the sideways movement of the saddle and there was, additionally, a very real danger of the rider being deposited on the ground. As a counter to the poor fit of the saddle, grooms would often girth up so tightly that the horse had trouble breathing, or would even try to roll to get rid of it's burden.

Then some unknown genius invented the balance strap. This first appears in drawings in the 1820s, when it was connected to the stirrup leather. In its modern form, however, it goes from the nearside front of the saddle to the offside rear, a balance being effected by pressures on opposite corners of the saddle. Some riders prefer a short balance strap sewn to the girth instead of buckling independently to the saddle, but this is a matter of taste since both types are effective.

It was the invention, of the leaping head, which gave the sidesaddle its reputation for safety and security. Without this, only the most intrepid rider would dare to jump, for if the horse chose to play up the rider had little chance of staying mounted. With it, any of the movements which might pitch the astride rider over the horse's shoulder, serve merely to strengthen the side saddle rider's seat, as their thigh slides firmly into its support. It must have a left-handed thread to its screw, or it will loosen when the rider jams their leg against it when employing the emergency grip to retain their seat. Why it took so long for the double pommels of mediaeval days and the third or leaping head of the early 19th century to be generally adopted is not clear, except that we are by nature a conservative people.

The honour of having introduced the third pommel in 1830 has been claimed by several men, two Frenchmen,

• Jules Charles Perrier, a French riding master emphatically claimed he invented the leaping horn in Paris in 1830.
  
• Monsieur Baucher
  

and three Englishman:-

• Mr. Fitzharding Oldacre,
  
• S. Sidney, (The Book of the Horse.); is said to have evolved the idea in order to enable a man to ride a match for a wager on a sidesaddle.
  
• Thomas Aldaker, Huntsman to the Earl of Buckeley (1788-1820) who broke his leg jumping in a sidesaddle with only the top central horn and having no grip for his left leg.
  

(Note: I am unable to find sufficient information to narrow down the candidates for the invention of the leaping head. If anyone has a definitive answer please let me know. Jan.)

Although the original pommel on the offside had now no practical use, it was retained by some saddlers up to the end of the century, getting smaller and smaller until it was only a sort of token.

Not until the accession of Queen Victoria does there appear to be any very satisfactory evidence as to the saddlery in use. Except that Queen Anne before her accession rode hard to hounds there seems to be nothing known about her. If she rode sidesaddle - she may well have ridden astride, as did various princesses at a later date - she would presumably have had a single pommel, as shown in various paintings at the time of her reign and just before. (Especially those of Johannes van Wyck, c. 1652 - 1700.)

In 1825, Nimrod writes "There was to me and indeed it must have been to everyone, a very agreeable sight on this day in the field. This was Mrs. Shakerley (the lady of Mr. Shakerley, jun., of Somerfield Hall, Cheshire), upon her beautiful, I might almost say superb, horse the Golden Ball. Mrs. Shakerley is a French lady of high birth, and certainly, the most graceful horsewoman I ever saw upon a horse: the Lady Eveline herself, on her white palfrey, could not have excelled her. Her hand, as well as her seat, is quite perfect, and I understand she has gone well once or twice in Leicestershire.

Elizabeth, Empress of Austria, (1837 - 1897) was an accomplished horsewoman, she studied equitation seriously and had lessons in the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. She hunted with great enthusiasm in England and Ireland between 1876-1882, when her skill, courage, and elegance created a minor sensation. She is remembered for her remark to her pilot, Captain 'Bay' Middleton, "I don't mind the falls, but, remember, I will not scratch my face".

The Hanoverians reigned while the saddle with two pommels was coming into fashion and when Queen Victoria took to the leaping head seems not to be known.

This survival of the off pommel makes it impossible to say with certainty whether a drawing or painting shows a woman on an old-fashioned saddle with two pommels or a more modern type with three. A Landseer painting, which shows Queen Victoria inspection the 2nd Life Guards with the Duke of Wellington is attendance, painted in 1839, so we can be sure that Her Majesty is using the two pommel old-fashioned type. It is known that The Duke of Wellington objected to the Queen riding when inspecting troops and wished her to be driven. There is little doubt that the fact of the old-fashioned saddle giving only a modicum of grip,

must have weighed on the Duke, who probably was well aware that in the event of any contretemps taking place his Royal Mistress might have a nasty fall.

Before 1875, ladies might ride to the hunt meet to see their menfolk off, and as interested spectators out for a good gossip, it was not considered respectable actually to follow hounds. Then, in 1876, the Empress Elizabeth of Austria, a pioneer who came to England to hunt with the Pytchley. By her daring example, she helped set the pace in saddle design, by demanding the same, or indeed greater, durability and security for the side saddle rider, whether hacking in a London park or keeping up with hounds. Fashionable ladies followed her lead, taking to the hunting field with great enthusiasm. They soon began to give more thought to their saddles, for what was tolerably comfortable during a gentle ride was not necessarily suitable for a hard day in the hunting field.

There is a picture by Van Dyck in the Royal Collection (Lida Fleitmann Bloodgood, The Saddle of Queens) showing Charles I's Queen, Henrietta Maria, holding a horse with this type of saddle.

Around the early 1900's, the flat seat came into being with now only two horns enabling the rider to sit straight to the front of the horse and able to have full control. A lot of balance is required as well in keeping straight and square. Today, the woman sidesaddle rider can do everything as astride rider can do with equal security, as the sidesaddle is very secure.

About 1902 Mayhew introduced and patented a saddle with very wide pommels, which became very popular and is still in use today. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II used to ride sidesaddle on parade or trooping the colours.

The Women's Volunteer formations, known colloquially as the 'Fany's' rode sidesaddle in the early days of their existence. In 1909 the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, a Women's Volunteer Unit, was raised as a mounted corps, just before riding astride for women had become general; they therefore rode sidesaddle. The uniform worn was very smart, a scarlet peaked cap, a scarlet tunic braided white Hussar fashion, with collar and shoulder straps edged with white piping and a dark blue habit with three rows of white braid round the bottom. Officers wore a white pouch belt. In 1910 the F.A.N.Y. took to riding astride and wore khaki. Members served in various capacities of all fronts in the 1914-18 war.

Comments

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Jan   23rd Nov 01 Can anyone help? I am trying to find information about docking tails, ear trimming, and nostril snipping. Why did they start? What was the reason for this mutilation? Without making the article gruesome, I thought it would be interesting. I have a part written composition already but have very little on ear trimming and nothing on nostril snipping, but I know both happened. If anyone has any information it would be gratefully received, and I will collate it all together and put it in the ‘How it was’ section. Andrea   31st Dec 01 I have read a book a while ago and it said that most people back then had no regard for the horse's comfort and only about fashion. The nobility thought that docked tails looked smart. The same motive for the check rein. If you do not already know the check rein was also torture, causing horses heads being raised over a comfortable level and putting strain on their backs. Jan   1st Jan 02 Andrea Thank you for your comment - that's why this section was started - unfortuneately what I fond in old books does not necessarily follow what really happened. Yes I knew about the check rein but I understood it to be called a 'bearing rein' and if I can find enough information I will write some more articles, but I'm a but stumped at the moment. Ali   11th Jan 02 Try Black Beauty by Anna Sewell for a rather horrific description of bearing reins. Lily Searle   27th Feb 02 I found your site very infomative and have used the information to complete an essay that i am constructing about riding side-saddle as opposed to astride. As i come from a land based college i study eqiunes and found the site very useful to me:) EDEE WEIGEL   17th Mar 02 I believe that the old fashoned ways of clipping ears etc were to make a horse appear more finely bred as a real hot blooded horse has the looks already for the sake of fashion even to this day we do things to horses and even dogs...clip ears and tails to make their 'lines' more refined. Too bad for the animals comfort to swish away a fly.. Or a puppy with bandgaed head and cut tail. I wonder what would happen if horseshows went au' natural..it would be funny don't you think? packhorse   2nd Apr 02 Docking Tails. Dirty Tails - with manure, mud or water on them a) swished and sent dirt/water on to the people in the carriage behind - remember many many many horses were used to plough, used in traps, carriages or carts etc. (as well as being ridden) b) longer tails got caught up in the straps of the driving harness. c) Dirty tails looked less than 'nice' from behind d) Less work for the groom - and as with trimming ears - it made for neater horse - and with this last, you might just as well ask why we pull manes and tails today! try pulling your own hair sometime. Danae   17th May 02 As for the ear and muzzle clipping is, in my opinion, strickly based on appearance. The horse's actually use the hair! The ear hair helps keeps the bugs, dirt, and moisture, out of their ears. With the muzzle and eyelashes, they use them as feelers. Think about it, when you don't shave your legs you can actually feel stuff with the hairs (great analogy huh?!) the same goes with horses. It becomes another sense for them. Viv   11th Jun 02 Nostril slitting is extremely old and yet carried on into the middle ages. Nostrils were slit prior to bits being used - a very low noseband was used to put pressure on the horse's sensitive nose for control - this of course covered the nostrils making it difficult for the horse to breath. The nostrils were therefore slit to allow the horse to breath... the practice continued on and off even after bits were invented and in the middle ages when there were a lot a very cruel practices nostril slitting (low nosebands) were often combined with very harsh bits! Elizabeth Durack   13th Jun 02 Tail docking became a fashion, but an initial reason for it was to prevent driving horses from swishing the tail and hooking the tailbone over the rein(s) and clamping it against the buttocks, a trick some horses apparently learn (presumably because of harsh rein handling). It was considered a safety precaution for this reason. It was also felt (and is still felt for certain breeds where the practice is legal) that a docked tail showed off the horse's hindquarters well. Tail docking is still standard on draft horses and show hackneys here in the US. Ear trimming can occasionally be seen in old photographs and was apparently cosmetic... though really it just looked odd. The horses' ears were cut almost in half in a rounded shape. How brutal and sad!! Maija   15th Jun 02 I am particulary interested in reconstruction of te 15th century sidesaddle. Although, this article gives some hints, they are not enough. :) I would appreciate any help with the research. EDEE WEIGEL   3rd Dec 02 REGARDING THE EAR TRIMMING -TO CLARIFY A FACT: THIS WAS AN OLD FASHIONED ( 1800 'S ) PRACTICE SIMULAR TO WHAT IS DONE TO A DOBERMAN DOGS EARS IN MODERNE TIMES! THE HORSES EARS WERE TRIMMED TO BE SMALLER AND MORE REFINED LOOKING -- NOT JUST WAS THE HAIR TRIMMED AS IN A SHOW HORSES GROOMING - BUT THE FLESH OF THE EAR WAS CUT AWAY TO MAKE THE EAR'PRETTIER' !!! SAD TO THINK HOW HORSES HAVE SUFFERED FOR THE VANITY OF MAN'S EGO! MANS ROAD TO SUCCESS WAS PAVED WITH THEIR BONES.... Jan   4th Dec 02 Hi Maija The quote about the Catherine de Medici saddle in 1580 came from:- The Country Life Book of Saddlery and Equipment, but information was difficult to find and was collated from many sources. Had I found a definative answer I would have included it because I would like to know the answers, to the questions the article has left unanswered. Jan   4th Dec 02 Thank you to all those who have left information about docking and ear/nostril cutting. If your infomation has a source or you are quoting from a book - please could you e-mail (mike@newrider.com) with the paragharphs concerned, the name of the book, publisher and date published and Mike will pass on your e-mails to me. And hopefully at long last I can complete the article. Thanks Jan Henrietta   10th Dec 02 I'd just like to say that true docking (cutting the bone of the tail) and ear and nose cutting for cosmetic (ie non-medical) purposes is illegal in Britain. Dr Sharon E. Cregier   20th Mar 03 Regarding tail-docking, the cosmetic amputation of the tail, its legalities, illegalities, and long-term pain and medical consequences for the horse, the specious reasoning used to excuse the practice, please see www.infography.com for a bibliography of sources on the topic. For the horses, Sharon E. Cregier Ian Hoskins   23rd Mar 03 Would you be able to date the introduction of the ladies' safety stirrup? I am particularly the invention and significance of Scott's patent stirrup - made by Hampson and Scott. thank you Ian Henrietta   28th Mar 03 Rosamund Owen in her book "The Art of Side Saddle comments that various safety stirrups appeared around 1850. Does this help? Have you tried the "Google" search engine? Diane Chew   28th Mar 03 Mary - Champion and Wilton were in business until 1957. I have seen a receipt for one of the last side saddles they made. It cost £76 7s 6d (£76.38p) - the latest new ones cost around £2000-£3000! Suggest you look up Nick Creaton's articles on the major side saddle manufacturers on the Side Saddle Association's official site.

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