Holly Hardman, of Calgary, demonstrates that one can comfortably canter in a sidesaddle. However, it takes the right horse and correct saddle fit to make it safe. Horses have to be trained that a crop touching its off side replaces leg pressure. The rider must remain square and centred with her weight on her right leg, balanced where it crosses the horse’s shoulder. <
Lolita Rocheleau-Lazenby shows off her Mexican dress which she wears when riding sidesaddle in parades. She grew up riding sidesaddle in her native Mexico. Centuries ago, women riders were often killed when their dresses would get caught up on the saddle pommel if they fell off. Today, the full dress has been replaced by what is called a safety apron.
Caitlin McLean cuts a fine figure as she trots sidesaddle through a verdant field, hugging a hill still in bloom with wildflowers. She is in English habit — a top hat with a dark dress jacket and skirt. While this scene is from this summer, it could have been from the late 1800s, when women donned elegant riding habits, or outfits, and rode sidesaddle. Whether jumping or hunting, they did it in style. After all, to ride astride in pants like a man was deemed unladylike, and even caused some to fear a woman would be less fertile.
Sidesaddle is growing in popularity, as women look for something different to do with their horses, said McLean. “It makes you feel like you’re just not one of the guys out there doing the work.”
McLean, 20, was one of 10 women who participated in Canada’s first-ever sidesaddle clinic, held in August at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, south of Longview, in southern Alberta. The two-day event was instructed by Lee McLean, Caitlin’s mother. Lee grew up riding sidesaddle, after a neighbour informed her mother that it was improper to have her racing across the hills like a man. “I was in boots, braids and jeans, and we rode around like wild Indians,” recalls Lee who is seeking certification as an official sidesaddle instructor.
“Part of the revival of sidesaddle also has to do with resurrecting tradition, she said. “It’s part of our desire to reflect on the past.” And it’s nice that it is unique to women, she added. “It’s a way for women to feel like women. It makes you feel like a queen. It’s so stately.”
For Joanne Vang, a clinic participant, it was her first time riding sidesaddle. Done properly, it’s just as comfortable as riding astride, she said. But it does give a woman a sense of status, she noted. Beaming a broad smile, she laughed: “I feel like a lady in control, a real woman. I am woman, hear me roar!”
All of the students agreed it requires a posture with few faults, as riders must sit square, with their shirt buttons lining up with their horse’s mane and spine. “Because both your legs are on the left side, there is a tendency to twist away, rather than sitting straight forward. That will really get you in the lower back,” said Laura Wells.
Nursing a blister on her seat, Lara McDonald, who has participated in barrel racing, jumping and polo, said it was the most challenging of all the equine disciplines. “It feels so foreign until you find your balance,” she said.
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