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The person who credited her was a 16th century historian, John Stow. This bit of information has often been repeated ad nauseum, on the Internet. The Empress Matilida, while fleeing Winchester in 1141, was forced to ride in "the male fashion" in order to increase her party's pace so they could escape. 129.83.31.3 ( talk) 15:50, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
One notices in sidesaddle both feet are always on the left side of the horse. Conceivably the other way, both feet on the right side of the horse, could be just as appropriate. Why was the left side uniformly chosen? Contact Basemetal here 03:23, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
I can't source it easily for sidesaddle, but my guess is that it's because horses in western culture are handled and mounted from the left; the majority of people are right-handed, and for astride riders, men wore their swords on their left side (to draw with right hand) and hence it was easier to throw their right leg over the saddle. Also, basic tasks like leading the horse were easier done from the left by a right-handed handler. So, given that reality, horses were calmer and more used to being handled from the left, so it also made sense to boost ladies up on the left side, and more decorous to allow them to keep their legs on the side where they were lifted. Montanabw (talk) 02:18, 23 February 2014 (UTC)
You raise an interesting point about sitting aside versus sidesaddle. Not sure how much we can source history prior to what's in the article, but clearly the need has existed since women started wearing long skirts. (heavy sigh) Montanabw (talk) 02:45, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
I remember reading somewhere that the ancient nomads would also on occasion ride aside, but I cannot remember where they found this. It would make sense that a traveling horseman, in the pre-stirrup age, would relax the strained muscle-attachments to his hips caused by the drag of his legs. Persian soldiers are also shown riding aside on their asses in Greek vase painting, British Museum, GR 1912.7-9.1, their feet resting on a planchette. This could be accurate, but it could also be to mock those "effeminate" Persians by showing them riding their asses like women. 87.212.52.128 ( talk) 12:59, 26 February 2014 (UTC)
Even though 1904, this advice is impossible to follow due to the design of the two-pommel saddle. The book is also flawed in "recommending" that women not ride astride. The author quite possibly had never ridden a horse! But putting here for future review. Montanabw (talk) 07:56, 1 November 2014 (UTC)
It was recommended to frequently change from one side to another, to prevent irregular development of thigh muscles, especially in girls who start riding in childhood. [1]
Why impossible? You have a right-handed saddle and a left-handed one. Switching off daily is mentioned in the Badminton Library of Sports volume Riding as a way to prevent any uneven development of the young body, which is an excuse for many worried mamas to prevent their daughters riding.
The whole section on the "two-pommel saddle" does read like a mess, because the terminology is the modern nonsense. In all pre-WWII sources, this is called a "three-horn saddle," because as the photo here very clearly shows three horns, the third being the leaping horn on the far left. Source: Montgomery Ward catalog, 1922, tack section. However did they decide to start calling horns pommels and cut the obvious number of them? Just part of the interregnum when sidesaddle almost disappeared? 141.239.177.153 ( talk) 17:13, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
in the national museum of iceland is a wonderful ladies side saddle; a copyright picture is here https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-womens-side-saddle-used-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries-in-iceland-75146413.html
question: what is the thing that sticks out (labeled "a' in the photo ) ? it looks like it goes over the rear of the horse — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.157.58.170 ( talk) 17:55, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
References
I was wondering why my example picture of the western ladies side saddle picture was removed? I would like to have it added back on if possible please! 71.38.55.15 ( talk) 23:32, 19 September 2023 (UTC)
This source discusses and places the role sidesaddle attire and bicycling attire had on feminism and the role in changing of women's clothing. It calls it "anti-fashion" and goes on to describe why. Quite fascinating. Probably should be used in Sidesaddle § Attire somehow. Available through Wikipedia Library / JSTOR.
This one also looks promising:
This article is rated C-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The person who credited her was a 16th century historian, John Stow. This bit of information has often been repeated ad nauseum, on the Internet. The Empress Matilida, while fleeing Winchester in 1141, was forced to ride in "the male fashion" in order to increase her party's pace so they could escape. 129.83.31.3 ( talk) 15:50, 20 April 2012 (UTC)
One notices in sidesaddle both feet are always on the left side of the horse. Conceivably the other way, both feet on the right side of the horse, could be just as appropriate. Why was the left side uniformly chosen? Contact Basemetal here 03:23, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
I can't source it easily for sidesaddle, but my guess is that it's because horses in western culture are handled and mounted from the left; the majority of people are right-handed, and for astride riders, men wore their swords on their left side (to draw with right hand) and hence it was easier to throw their right leg over the saddle. Also, basic tasks like leading the horse were easier done from the left by a right-handed handler. So, given that reality, horses were calmer and more used to being handled from the left, so it also made sense to boost ladies up on the left side, and more decorous to allow them to keep their legs on the side where they were lifted. Montanabw (talk) 02:18, 23 February 2014 (UTC)
You raise an interesting point about sitting aside versus sidesaddle. Not sure how much we can source history prior to what's in the article, but clearly the need has existed since women started wearing long skirts. (heavy sigh) Montanabw (talk) 02:45, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
I remember reading somewhere that the ancient nomads would also on occasion ride aside, but I cannot remember where they found this. It would make sense that a traveling horseman, in the pre-stirrup age, would relax the strained muscle-attachments to his hips caused by the drag of his legs. Persian soldiers are also shown riding aside on their asses in Greek vase painting, British Museum, GR 1912.7-9.1, their feet resting on a planchette. This could be accurate, but it could also be to mock those "effeminate" Persians by showing them riding their asses like women. 87.212.52.128 ( talk) 12:59, 26 February 2014 (UTC)
Even though 1904, this advice is impossible to follow due to the design of the two-pommel saddle. The book is also flawed in "recommending" that women not ride astride. The author quite possibly had never ridden a horse! But putting here for future review. Montanabw (talk) 07:56, 1 November 2014 (UTC)
It was recommended to frequently change from one side to another, to prevent irregular development of thigh muscles, especially in girls who start riding in childhood. [1]
Why impossible? You have a right-handed saddle and a left-handed one. Switching off daily is mentioned in the Badminton Library of Sports volume Riding as a way to prevent any uneven development of the young body, which is an excuse for many worried mamas to prevent their daughters riding.
The whole section on the "two-pommel saddle" does read like a mess, because the terminology is the modern nonsense. In all pre-WWII sources, this is called a "three-horn saddle," because as the photo here very clearly shows three horns, the third being the leaping horn on the far left. Source: Montgomery Ward catalog, 1922, tack section. However did they decide to start calling horns pommels and cut the obvious number of them? Just part of the interregnum when sidesaddle almost disappeared? 141.239.177.153 ( talk) 17:13, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
in the national museum of iceland is a wonderful ladies side saddle; a copyright picture is here https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-womens-side-saddle-used-in-the-18th-and-19th-centuries-in-iceland-75146413.html
question: what is the thing that sticks out (labeled "a' in the photo ) ? it looks like it goes over the rear of the horse — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.157.58.170 ( talk) 17:55, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
References
I was wondering why my example picture of the western ladies side saddle picture was removed? I would like to have it added back on if possible please! 71.38.55.15 ( talk) 23:32, 19 September 2023 (UTC)
This source discusses and places the role sidesaddle attire and bicycling attire had on feminism and the role in changing of women's clothing. It calls it "anti-fashion" and goes on to describe why. Quite fascinating. Probably should be used in Sidesaddle § Attire somehow. Available through Wikipedia Library / JSTOR.
This one also looks promising: