New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-09-08
RIDING MAN-FAsHlON.
By ELIZABETH DUDLEY.


horseback riding was no doubt introduced
for coed and sufficient physical reason
and my experience in equestrian exercise
leads me to believe that the majority o
women will find the side saddle most com
Portable for them.
1t is claimed that if the girth gives way {
lady will have no possible hold on hel
horse, but will be thrown to the ground
She will, however, land upon her feet, or al
least upon one of them, while, if the girtl
gives way when she is using a mans sad
die, she will tall head downward, with one
leg bent under her body and the other ele-
waited over the back of the horse. In this
position she is more likely to break some
bones than in the other.
We are told, to be sure, that in riding
astride a lady would be able to keep "a
horseman's grip on her horse, and, in case
OF a loose girth, could hold her saddle III
place. l doubt this. Our slender women
and our fat women alike have no muscle. /
fancy even a why tend0ned ballet girl
would be unable to control the poWerfuJ
muscles by which vicious horse strives to
burst the girth, or take advantage of its
becoming loosened to escape from its rider.
A well-trained animal, i'll event of an acct
dent, will slacken his pace at once, or even
stop of his own will.
And the majority of our women are too
short to look well riding astride; they
have not sufficient length of limb for the
! cheeseman's grip" ANY one who has seen
a boy of ten on the back of broad, high
horse, with his legs spread in right angles,
can imagine the ridiculous appearance
which most of our ladies will present riding
astride, and if they practice this position
much it will affect their gait. They will
then, when walking, present the comieal
| appearance of an old sailor just off a long
voyage, who rolls along in the most absurd
| wat yUjth his 1pus vida
We shall have some hearty fun at the ex-
pense of these Amazons.
When l hear lady complaining of the
Uncomfortable and "twisted" position
of sideways riding, CT feeling that her
''back is crooked" or that she is insecure,
| know she does not sit properly. In the
first place she must get side saddle which
fits her As some women are thin, and
some robust some with long limbs, and
some with short it follows that one form of
side saddle will not be comfortable for
every woman.
Then she should take her seat firmly and
evenly in the centre of the saddle, as if
about to ride astride, and adjust the right
leg in the most comfortable position posi-
BILE; it must not be too much strained over
the left, and may indeed be shifted a little
more to the right after riding short dis
lance, and getting accustomed to the mo-
ton of the horse.
| was once visiting some friends who
lived on an isolated hillside farm, when my
host, in using some machinery, met with a
serious accident. While his wife remained
at his side applying cold water to the
wound, saddIed horse with mans sad
die there was no other at handl, and
dashed off for the doctor.
The road was deserted, go l naturally
rode astride; but such ridel On a hard
trotting, madly gallopping pillow horse, l
4 lr,r,~
thinking that l should never come up with
the doctor, who had left his home eand
started on his rounds. | caught him at
last, and turned him back, fortunately, in
time, but hardly know whether the pa
tient or myself suffered most for day or
two.
was then an accomplished eques trienne.
on a side-saddle, and l resolved never to
use any other
When living on the Cumberland Noun
tain, in Tennessee, l rode constantly on
horseback, always with a side-saddle, and |
my neighbors did the same. One girl whom
| knew there rode on her brothers saddle |
whenever her mother or sister
was with her, and never rode. astride; she
placed her right leg in the same position as
when she used her own saddle When l
asked the reason for this she replied only, |
'"Pears like gal C0uldn' ride man-fashi0ng I
nOwayo'
Move this healthy, hardy mountaineer
had a beautiful womanly form, and was
proportioned. AS she wore
neither corset3, paniers nor hoop skirts her
figure could not be disguised, and if she
could not ride astride, what woman can
fancy that twenty miles experience on
mans saddle, over a rough road, will con-
VinCe almost any of our ladies that she
can't do everything 'just as well as a man"
have ridden. with my baby in my arms
up and down mountain roads so steep that
when my horse was climbing up had to
lean forward until my cheek touched his
name, and when he was cautiously creep
ing down | was obliged to lean down until
The strain became almost insuppOrtable. In
both positions | found the horn Of the sad
die great help.
But the most trying situation of all was
when, in the same countryo [ reached the
ford of the little Collins river, 200 feet
wide, where usually the water was hardly
up to the knees of horse, and found it
swollen by late rains and dashing along SO
swiftly that the horse could hardly struggle
through. One Of our party crossed first,
md we saw that the water rose to his sad
lie in the middle of the ford 1t would be
to kneel on our saddles and risk
)6ing swept off. Every man in the party
begged to relieve me of my baby-theY
cared | could not possibly hold him and
steady mysef-but he was too precious to
)e trusted out of my arms, and knew
vas good swimmer.
l had my saddle changed for one of theirs
o have room for kneeIing, and l looked
veil to the girth, the buckles and the
traps, and had my boy firmly bound to me
With a shawl; then kneeling upon the
addle. my riding skirt tucked about me,
ny baby firmly elasped in my left arm, and
ny right hand twisted in the name of my
l0rse, we safely made the perilous journey.
The intelligent animal had always been
sed to slack rein and needed no control.
he picked her way with the utmost care,
nd when at last we reached the barn l
Jung like rag over her neck and kissed
er and felt better.
/ have not space now to give other expe-
fence on this subject, but shall await with
Feat interest the result of the experiment
7hich some of our ladies mean to try ia
'entral Park. l am anxious to know if they
njoy riding man-fashion.