Why Riding Sidesaddle in Equitable Fantasy Societies makes No Sense
Look, I’m just as into the “aesthetic” of sidesaddle as most people. it looks pretty cool and quaint, and there are still women who jump and fox hunt whilst riding sidesaddle, which is bad ass.
However, sidesaddle only came about because of the fact that it was seen as “indecent” for women to sit astride a horse. There are no practical reasons to ride sidesaddle, outside of it looking cool. Here’s why:
To people who have never ridden a horse’s trot, you may not understand how difficult it is to sit it. English riders (and a lot of Western riders, tbh) will “post” during the trot. That is, they rise up out of their saddle on one beat and back into the saddle on the other beat (trotting is a two-beat gait). To sit a big horse’s trot would be very uncomfortable. Posting during a trot makes it easier.
You cannot post when riding sidesaddle. It’s actually a form of torture to be asked to post without stirrups (thanks, lesson instructors, lol) because you’re lifting your entire body weight with your thighs, which are spread across a horse’s back, i.e. not straight up and down. You can only do it for a few minutes before you cramp up.
The angle of your legs when riding sidesaddle make posting impossible. So you have to sit it. So you bounce. A lot.
Of course, there is evidence that not all horses ridden by “proper ladies” were trotters. Some of them “ambled”, as in they were gaited. A gaited horse travels differently from a non-gaited horse. That gait depends on the breed, but a Tennessee Walking Horse, for example, gaits out like this instead of trotting:
You’ll notice she’s not bouncing around. It’s a comfortable gait, and it’s possible horses in the medieval period WERE gaited, as it’s easier for the horse and the rider over long distances. Here’s an Icelandic horse “tolting”:
The rider’s not bouncing around either.
However, most horses cannot gait, and therefore riding sidesaddle– especially on big horses with big movements– is at best fine and at worst extremely uncomfortable. Unless you’re just walking… which is what a lot of women riding sidesaddle did.
Reason #2: You Are Missing Critical Aids
Sidesaddle horses can be and are trained to ride identical to horses you sit astride. But it’s not practical. Riders use their legs to deliver messages to the horse– go faster, move left, move right, slow down, etc. If you’re only delivering an aid on one side, that horse has to figure out what you’re doing. Sidesaddle riders can compensate for their missing leg by using a whip on the other side. But it’s not something anyone would choose to do if the tradition of sidesaddle didn’t already exist (and it only existed to keep women’s sinful legs hidden).
Reason #3: Your Horse Develops Musculature Unevenly and It’s Not Comfortable for Your Horse Over Long Periods of Time
A horse is carrying all of your weight more on one side than the other. Sure, you could switch to the other side if you wanted, but you’d need to make two saddles. Not practical. This means a horse is weaker on the right, which can affect their “soundness”, that is, the health and movement of their feet. Yeah, a horse’s uneven muscle development can make them lame, because what can’t make a horse lame?
Also, imagine you had to carry 20% of your weight on only one shoulder for hours. It’s much more comfortable for you to carry, say, a baby in the center of your gravity than to one side.
Reason #4: Sure you Can Do It… BUT WHY????
Women can ride well and perform incredible feats when riding aside.
Some women like the challenge. But if sidesaddle weren’t some twee old-timey thing that looks cool, I’m pretty sure no woman would find much worth in it.
First, you have to trust the horse you’re riding is not nuts. If you’ve never had to get on a spirited horse that does some bucking and rearing, then you can’t appreciate how much your legs come in handy when a horse is acting like a little shit. You need those to hold on tight. They may be the only thing that keeps you from ending up on the ground.
Second, it’s just harder. It’s harder to sit through gaits. It’s harder to communicate leg and seat aids. It’s harder to stay on a horse that’s feeling their oats. It’s probably not very comfortable over long distances. It provides a nice respite if you’ve been sitting astride all day though, I’ll admit that.
(What you spend 90% of the time at a horse show doing. Yeah, that’s me as a teen)
It’s a style of riding with roots deeply embedded in a sexist history. While there are some instances of men riding aside, it’s usually because a horse is already fitted with a packsaddle or a guy is taking a break in the farm fields. It was never meant to be used for serious riding (unless performing a specific task that required it). Using it in a fantasy world where sexism doesn’t exist, or a world in which women’s legs aren’t particularly sinful, makes no practical sense.
Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Watch videos of some ladies jumping and doing sliding stops while sidesaddle. They’re pretty talented.
pixelskylines
jacobvanloon
kianamaiart
prguitarman
baratheonpilled
discoholicmusic
gummygunk
