Should side saddle die?

Wally

Wally

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2000
35,280
4,381
113
There is a feminist idea that side saddle should die the death as it is a hangover from days of female oppression.

I feel that free choice is far, far better. If you lose the art of side saddle many folk with disabilities lose the opportunity to ride.

To tell me, as a woman, not to ride side saddle it taking away my choice and thus oppressing me!....innit? :rolleyes: :(
 
Who's telling you not to??? Lots of things we do are hangovers from this and that, but not all of them are intrinsically wrong. I know a couple of people who have tried side saddle because its fun and different. I can't imagine anyone sensible would see it as a continued means of oppression:D
 
I always liked the quote:
If the world were a truly logical place, men would ride sidesaddle.
Click to expand...
As long as people now choose to ride that way, what's oppressive about it? Although I would quite like to see William Fox-Pitt do Badminton sideways :D
 
Wally said:
I feel that free choice is far, far better. If you lose the art of side saddle many folk with disabilities lose the opportunity to ride.
Click to expand...

As do many able-bodied people who just prefer side-saddle. I don't see any need to have to justify choosing side-saddle, to be honest.

Wally said:
To tell me, as a woman, not to ride side saddle it taking away my choice and thus oppressing me!....innit? :rolleyes: :(
Click to expand...

Oh yes!

Feminism originally arose from the fight to give women the vote - the freedom to choose. Why try now to narrow the choices that women fought so hard to gain in the first place?

Daft.
 
i love sidesaddle, its so elegant! i think who ever told you not to ride sidesaddle should get thier head checked! it is feminism taken way to far!
i dont know about anyone else but i like being female, and if i choose to ride sidesaddle then thats my choice, nothing opressive about it!
also how is sidesaddle oppresive? it gave women the freedom to do stuff like hunt and ride horses, whilst keeping thier dignity intact! anything you can do astride you can do sideways, and in some ways it is safer!
 
What total tosh! I am no feminist but am more likely to be found fixing concrete as doing embroidery. Why can't men ride aside? Has anybody ever tried, or is it one of these things that "men don't do". Judging by the lady I saw hunting aside on the 19th Feb, it is very efficient and effective, she was up front going like stink across appalling ground and looked as solid as a rock! Badminton here she comes, well mebbe Bicton to start with :D
 
mossy some men used to be able to do it, as invariably the people who taught ladies to ride were men, and those who borke the horses were men, however i dont think you would have ever seen a man out on the hunting feild aside!
 
As well as offering individuals with disabilities an opportunity to ride, I've also heard, that it can also offer women from different religious backgrounds as opportunity to ride as well.

This is for a number of reasons, they are able to keep themselves covered up and also get over the issues of riding astride being inappropriate for women.

Well this is what I read in a SUnday newspaper supplement about side-saddle riding and how it is growing in popularity again.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind having a go to be honest looks good fun!
 
well in that case, if we're going purely "functional" - shouldn't driving also "die" now we have cars ?? :eek:

and while we're at it, no one should ride bareback now we have saddles :mad:

In fact, why do we ride at all now we have bicycles, cars, etc etc ;)

nah - long liv saidesaddle :D (now if only I could afford a western sidesaddle....)
 
I don't think its should die - but personally I think it looks equisitely difficult :p There is one lady on our yard who rides side saddle, and I salute her :D I can only just about stick on with both legs at either side - firmly pushed down - never mind with one stuck on a nobbly thingy on top of the other???! :eek:
 
I don't think it should die, but it would be fun if the blokes were allowed to do it too! :D

I had a (very brief) shot at it once and actually felt more secure then "normal riding", only in the indoor school though. :)
 
Who says sidesaddle ought to go? I think it's great fun and I felt much more secure sidesaddle than astride cos you can grip on hard! Very good thigh exercise - these little old ladies that hunt sidesaddle must have thighs of steel :D ! Anyway, if we're going to get rid of sidesaddle we'd better get rid of skirts too cos we have trousers now, and all stop ever wearing makeup etc etc. Nowadays if a woman rides sidesaddle (or a man!) it's out of free choice - I thought that was the whole point of feminism!
 
If I want ride asside, I will! (if I could afford a saddle!!)
If I want to let a man open doors for me & pay for my dinner, I will (hey - it helps me afford the saddle ;))
If I want to cook for 3hours for my boyfriend while his sitting in front of telly - I will!!

I'm so tired of being told what I can & can't do!! :mad:

And what's with the "Womyn" or the new one... "Wom*n"??!?!? I'd rather be chick or a babe!
 
Queen Anne of Bohemia apparently brought this style over when she married Richard II. Although she died young there is nothing to suggest she was particularly oppressed and this is the 1380's!!!

Honestly, have feminists got nothing better to do these days? :rolleyes:
 
Before we go slagging feminists and feminism can we have some evidence please? And there's no rule to stop men riding side saddle if they want to, I personally just wouldn't fancy it, I prefer a leg on each side of the horse for many reasons:D
 
Amen Yann (gosh I've got to stop agreeing with you people will talk) I did ask who or where these evil 'feminists' said/wrote this...........
Could I point out to all those women out there who vote, have an education, walk down the street unaccompanied, wear trousers, earn the same wage as their male peers, or even communicate with complete strangers via the internet (!)that all these privileges and more were brought to you courtesy of guess who?....I find it very depressing when women slag off feminism while lying back (ooer) and enjoying all the benefits it has brought them. Feminism is just Human Rights by another name and has nothing to do with limiting other people's choices.
*gets off soapbox*
 
I am a feminist and I believe in woman having control and truely informed choice. Most feminists would not seek to ban something like riding side saddle, they may want to talk about the origins of women riding that way, but they wouldn't want to remove the choice from women. There are odd balls who write odd things in all disciplines!
 
Last edited:
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back