# Distance Riding Sidesaddle?



## InexcessiveThings (Oct 22, 2016)

I have been interested in riding aside for a long time, but never have tried it. Now I actually have incentive to due to discomfort riding astride. Long story short, I flew off my horse while x-country schooling a few years ago and badly sprained my right ankle. Said ankle is fine for everyday stuff and light riding, but I find my right leg (even with physical therapy) is just not comfortable over long distance rides like CTR's, which is what both my horse and I really love doing. So I am inclined to try riding aside as I think it would be more comfortable for me in the long run. Any plans of mine for learning to ride aside are all still rather up in the air, however. I am just gathering as much information and input from other people as I can before I make a decision on a saddle purchase. 

So I have a few questions for any experienced aside riders on here, especially any who trail ride aside. Would there be any more concern (or likelihood) of the horse getting a sore back over distance with a properly fitted side saddle than with an astride saddle? I assume the answer to this one is probably no, like with any other type of saddle but I felt a need to ask it anyway. 

Has anyone successfully competed in long distance rides (CTR, endurance, etc.) aside? Any thoughts on if a western side saddle would be better for weight distribution than an English, or vice versa?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I don't ride side saddle but do have several questions, as I trail ride quite a bit, including some long mountain miles
First, can you long trot and effectively post or even stand in the stirrups, to just give different body parts for both you and the horse, some relief/change ?
Can you distribute weight , riding side saddle, like with a regular saddle, between seat and stirrups, or are you more of a dead weight on the back?
It it were me, and talking of someone who rode for quite a few years with very bad knees, and now ride with double knee replacements, you can strengthen an injury, re gain proper use, with time and regular miles
I guess I would be chomping a few Tylenol 3s, and try to regain my former 'body', but that is me.


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## SansPeurDansLaSelle (May 6, 2013)

Welcome to the dark side! Riding sidesaddle is so, so much fun and the community is full of wonderful ladies (and some men) that want to see this tradition continue for many years. 

Many of us hunt and steeplechase in sidesaddles and can ride out for hours in a sidesaddle that is properly fitted to horse and human. The comfort level really depends on your horses movement, if your horse is very bumpy it is unlikely a sidesaddle will be very comfortable since we can't quite post or get up into a half seat as easily. I have never sat in a Western sidesaddle but know many ladies who ride in them almost exclusively quite comfortably. You can also try the difference between a standard sidesaddle (legs to the left) and an off-sidesaddle (legs to the right), depending on your injury one or the other may be more comfortable.

You should definitely reach out to the International Side Saddle Organization, they host clinics and have lists of trainers and educational activities. They also run the Side Saddlery, a tack and attire shop dedicated to providing safe, correct equipment. If you're on Facebook there are a number of great groups for sidesaddle ladies full of helpful people. "Sidesaddle Riders!" and "Mid-Atlantic Sidesaddle Ladies" are two that I am a member of that are very helpful and have a large number of members who may be able to help you.

I can also recommend Devon Zebrovious at Cherry Blossom Farm for English appointments, I bought my saddle from her as well as some other pieces of the appointments and she has been easy to work with and is very knowledgeable. She also teaches and is always happy to help someone get started in the sport. Amy Jo Magee of Black Diamond Design in PA is another great resource for tack and repair as she does her own leather work.

Good luck to you, most of all we want to see it continue! Feel free to ask me any other questions I'm not sure how many other members on here ride sidesaddle regularly.


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## InexcessiveThings (Oct 22, 2016)

Smilie said:


> It it were me, and talking of someone who rode for quite a few years with very bad knees, and now ride with double knee replacements, you can strengthen an injury, re gain proper use, with time and regular miles
> I guess I would be chomping a few Tylenol 3s, and try to regain my former 'body', but that is me.


I think this is certainly a reasonable thing to try, and I have. I'm good for a low key 10-miler, no problem. But I have found it typically just isn't good enough at the pace required over varied, often hilly terrain like you see in most of the CTR's in my region.



Smilie said:


> First, can you long trot and effectively post or even stand in the stirrups, to just give different body parts for both you and the horse, some relief/change ?
> Can you distribute weight , riding side saddle, like with a regular saddle, between seat and stirrups, or are you more of a dead weight on the back?


My understanding is that a rising trot can be challenging but is achievable riding aside, though it's not quite the same as posting in a cross saddle. Again, I have no personal experience as of yet on riding aside, so this is only what I have gleaned from my reading. on the subject of distributing weight: The goal of a sidesaddle is just as that of a cross saddle; to put the rider in a balanced, centered position over the horse's spine. A centered rider is, of course, necessary for even weight distribution in the first place. You don't want to put excessive weight in the stirrup but I think that shouldn't, by any means, make the rider a deadweight if they are well balanced and centered as they should be.



SansPeurDansLaSelle said:


> Many of us hunt and steeplechase in sidesaddles and can ride out for hours in a sidesaddle that is properly fitted to horse and human. The comfort level really depends on your horses movement, if your horse is very bumpy it is unlikely a sidesaddle will be very comfortable since we can't quite post or get up into a half seat as easily. I have never sat in a Western sidesaddle but know many ladies who ride in them almost exclusively quite comfortably. You can also try the difference between a standard sidesaddle (legs to the left) and an off-sidesaddle (legs to the right), depending on your injury one or the other may be more comfortable.


That many women hunt, steeplechase, and even compete in horse trials aside does encourage me that I would be successful. Although my gelding is a big mover, he is usually a very smooth ride, so I don't foresee that being a problem. Off-side saddles intrigue me, but they seem to be exceedingly rare, and I don't think I could afford to have one custom made so I think I have to stick with trying a standard sidesaddle for now. 

I have yet to join any groups or organizations, and I actually hadn't even thought of facebook groups! I have also been through the ISSO website. I think I've read most of the resources they have on there, as I was determined to learn as much as possible. Unfortunately they, nor the American Sidesaddle Association, has an instructor close to me but I will keep in mind the possibility of any clinics within a reasonable distance. I would almost certainly go to a clinic if I got the chance. Cherry Blossom Farm I have seen come up recommended elsewhere, too. One of the places on my list of good, reputable people/places to get tack and appointments from when I actually have the funds to do so. Thank you for all the suggestions of places to go for more info!


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

I've only passed a lady riding side saddle once in 8 years....she was at big south fork, and had a proper side saddle...

Quite interesting...she was the talk of the group for an hour or so....


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

It’s like any saddle, as long as it fits correctly to the horse and rider then it shouldn’t cause problems. You’re not actually sitting sideways, you’re sitting the same as astride - straight with weight equally distributed - you just have one leg straight forward and resting on the near side (or off-side). 
I rode sidesaddle when I was younger. I had lessons at a local school and hacked out at home. Friends and distant relatives used to do it regularly and it was a great deal of fun. I was always on a borrowed horse that required exercise as my own didn’t take to it very well and the saddle wasn’t a great fit. 
I don’t think I could’ve done it for more than an hour or two at a time as I had problems with my right knee and hip. I think I jumped once or twice and we were taught to do a rising trot but I wasn’t something I could sustain due to my knee. 
I’d love to get back into it and I’ve also thought about getting an off-side saddle to help my aches and pains.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Why would it be more comfortable?
Was not the entire idea of a side saddle, to allow women to ride in an era where they had to wear dresses?
Just curious.


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## InexcessiveThings (Oct 22, 2016)

Yes, one reason the side saddle did evolve was to accommodate the long skirts women wore. I sometimes have issues with weight-bearing in my right ankle, which can be quite painful. Riding aside would take weight off that foot and ankle, hence why I think it would be more comfortable for me.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

Smilie said:


> Why would it be more comfortable?
> Was not the entire idea of a side saddle, to allow women to ride in an era where they had to wear dresses?
> Just curious.


As well as the perceived impropriety of a woman straddling a horse in public. I recall a conversation between my sister and grandmother back in the 1970's. Sister was about 10 and excited about riding. Granny was born in 1910, one of 10 siblings in a cabin the size of a modern master bedroom. She was telling of how she rode when she was a young girl. She didn't know all the proper equestrian terminology. She said she had to wear a split skirt and an apron to cover the split. And ride in a saddle "with a big horn in front you had to hook your leg over". I was a teenager, and well read enough to recognize she was describing a riding habit and a sidesaddle. 

Sister couldn't imagine all the hassle, and asked "Granny, why didn't you just straddle the horse?" Granny put her hand to her throat and exclaimed "Lord, honey! Not where anybody could see you!"


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

That ol' boy would be right at home at the horse camp! 

Back to the regularly scheduled thread......


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