Arizona republican., 1897-10-05
WOMEN RIDING "CRoss-sADDLE. '
A Club of Western Horse Women Pledge Themselves to This Style.

It appears that California women believe in riding astride, and Miss KittIidge, a noted horse woman, has almost succeeded in putting the side saddle out of Alameda county. The fair riders in this county have decid- ed to organize a club of "cross-sad- dle'' members, each one pledging her self to no other style of riding. Der kelley, Oakland and Fruitvale have joined Alameda with a large number of women 'fcross-saddle" riders, who are enthusiastic over what they de clare is the most sensible, comfortable and only rational position by which A horse may be properly and grace fully ridden.
 Mrs. Walter Magee, wife of the pro lessor of athletics in the California State university, has this to say of the custom:
 sI have ridden this way more or less all my life, and the last few years altogether abandoned the use of the side saddle. It is the only safe and healthy way to ride. as the position | gives equal exercise to the whole | body, whereas in the use of the side saddle the spine is thrown out of line, one leg is cramped and useless, deli cate internal organs are crowded and in danger of parrna injury, ard one accustomed to being much on horseback is sure to find her right hip higher than her left. The saddle should be fitted to the person-that 1 is, it should not be too large nor too small. For city riding, the best habit | is the divided ulster, but for country tIfps I unhesitati2gly recommend bloomers for horseback, which are | equally<comfortaibfe and ] convenient 1 when one is a-foot. 1 always wear them myself fin all my mountain rid 1 ing. Women would be much health fer if they took ito cross saddle rid 1 ing as daily exercise. The bicycle 1 is at the best but 8 poor excuse for a horse, though it has done good ser vice in getting women out of doors who would not otherwise exercise in 1 the open air. When riding a wheel the eyes and mind are ever on the alert Ito avoid mishap, the posture is stepping, and but one set of muscles is called into action. On horseback one, sits upright, and commands the whole horizon, which is iii itself an e1hilaration to both mind and body''
 Perhaps it may not be generally known that Queen Anne instituted 1 the fashion of riding on side saddle. i She did this because of deformity brought about by chronic hip disease. In riding horseback the only way in which she could conceal the defect was by punching herself up on a side saddle. Of course, whatever the queen did was at once adopted. Many physicians say that 1t is positively and permanently injurious for wo- men to ride regularly and for long distances in the cramped and unnat- lural position they are necessarily compelled to assume when using the side saddle. The California women say they have neither wish TOT inten- ton to be manmish, but simply desire to show they can ride comfortably and be feminine at the same time. Mrs. Dawes and Mrs Bull, of Ala meda, were the first two women to in- troduce ''cross-saddle" riding in their city, and in few weeks a dozen or i more young women and girls joined them and gave up the side saddle
 Miss Mabel Beebe of Oakland has been riding astride for three years or more, and is superb horsewoman The divided skirt is worn by the ma jority of the women, but In long dis tance and country riding bloomers arc preferred, and are made up in the smartest possible way.
 Miss Hanna, daughter of Senator Mark A. Hanna, is one of the con- verts to cross-saddle riding, and when she first appeared on a mans saddle Cleveland almost had convulsions.