Of Sidesaddles & Riding Habits: Part Two

Susan reports:

Today the Nerdy History Girls welcome back Robin Scarborough, DVM, MSFS, for part two of her guest blog. Dr. Scarborough is a veterinarian, re-enactor, living historian, and sidesaddle equestrian who is sharing her knowledge about sidesaddle riding and ladies' habits.

Imagine the freedom that women of the past experienced when allowed to go out on horseback. Once mounted, they were equal to men, sometimes able to leave them in the dust if the lady were seated on a better horse! Plus, they were able to leave nagging mothers and chaperons behind, often accompanied only by a groom or servant, whose primary obligation was equitation and safety rather than propriety. Riding habits were so frequently similar to men's wear that the tomboy of yesteryear could feel free to leave her demure side at home and escape outdoors without excessive lace, frills, or frills.

To many men, skill and daring on horseback only served to make a woman more attractive and desirable. Historical references state that "a woman appears to her best advantage on horseback," and a good deal of thought was given to style, cut, and color of habit.

The habit, upper right, is a copy of colonial American original made for local riding and hacking. It would have been worn about forty years after the green Baroque habit shown yesterday. This habit was designed and draped with the assistance of Mark Hutter, master tailor of Colonial Williamsburg, and it's indicative of what a southern colonial lady would have worn out riding or visiting. Made of cotton denim and paired with a straw hat, this habit would have been comfortable even int he steamy Virginian climate, and, while this can't be appreciated in the photograph, it's authentic right down to the undergarments: handmade stays, shift,

stockings, and period buckle shoes. Our model is International Sidesaddle Organization treasurer and instructor Jeannie Whited, riding Midas, my retired 25-year-old Morgan horse gelding at the Sidesaddle at Woodwind event.

The red habit, lower left, is a copy of an American Civil War turnout. While most habits of

this period were subdued, conservative colors, those made for riding in town or "husband hunting" were sometimes made of flashy colors or fabrics. Ladies who could afford it stayed abreast of changing habit styles, which like the rest of fashion varied from year to year or even seasonally. Similarly, American ladies pored over books of engravings showing the latest habit fashions from Paris and London, always desiring to be on the cutting edge of style. This picture is of Kathleen Bowman, riding Shadow, a Tennessee Walking Horse gelding at the Sidesaddle at Woodwind event.

Many, many thanks for sharing your expertise and your photographs, Robin!

All photographs copyright BHS Photography, and used with permission.

For more information about sidesaddle riding in general and in particular about constructing a colonial habit in a workshop with Colonial Williamsburg tailor Mark Hutter, see this issue of Liberty Sidesaddle Network magazine. (The magazine is a pdf file, and the article about the colonial habit workshop begins on page nine.)