My little girl dream has now been fufilled...

sidesaddlegirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 November 2007
Messages
2,594
Location
Wigston, Leicestershire
www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
I have a pegasus :)

Had a brill dressage lesson today and we were working on collection at the trot and canter and our medium trot and canter (absolutely knackering lesson!). I discovered that my lil' TB is actually a pegasus and I have photographic proof!!!

Take off...

pegasus1a.jpg


In flight :)

pegasus1.jpg


I wonder if the judges will mark us down on Sunday at our showing show for having an "unconventional" horse :D
 
beautiful pics :)

I really fancy giving side saddle a go. Can you do it on a horse that hasn't done it before? Also, stupid question perhaps, but can you enter standard dressage etc side saddle?! According to the BHS website my yard does side saddle training, but I've never seen anyone riding side saddle there....
 
sorry, should probably clarify - can you learn on a horse that hasn't done it before? Clearly you can do it on a horse that hasn't done it before, or no one would ever do it <slaps forehead>
 
YES to both your questions! Neither Hattie or the loan horse I used to have before, had done side saddle ever and both took to it like ducks to water. They are a bit "where the heck has your right leg gone?" at first but then they soon get it as you ride off your seat.

BD has a side saddle part in the tack section of their rule book. That's what we do, dressage and showing although there are lots of ladies who are braver than me, who do team chasing, hunt (and jump the hedges and 5 bar gates!) and all sorts of crazy things!
 
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I was a novice only ever having a read a book on the subject and plonked my Ebay saddle on my horse and off we went. We didn't do too badly all things considering and even got 8th place in our first ever dressage test side saddle despite never having a lesson. Then I found my instructor and she has whipped me into shape :)
 
Ooh, thank you, I'm going to loOk into this some more as I'm really tempted. Another daft question, but how do you find a saddler that can fit a side saddle!? Spider was difficult to get a standard sadde for so I wouldn't trust myself with an ebay attempt as my saddefitting knowledge is zero!

Am seriously impressed that you taught yourself to begin with!
 
Hattie is a nightmare to fit too as she has typical TB high withers but with a good topline like a cob, built slightly downhill with a forward girth groove. I was lucky as she is a narrowish medium fit and a lot of older saddles are a narrower fit so I lucked out. Different makers made their trees to different shapes so most horses can be fitted to a side saddle and new saddles are being made as well.

The Side Saddle Association has a list of side saddlers that fit and/or sell side saddles (I also have a links list on my blog: http://www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk/) but sometimes your local saddler can surprise you too as I am lucky enough to have two in my area who aren't listed on the SSA but are MORE than able to fit and repair side saddles. I just happened to ask and they said yes!

I see you are London area so you would be lucky enough to have Mike Huline Dickens who was trained by Champion & Wilton. He works with Suzie Vandepeer: http://www.sidesaddlefitting.co.uk/
 
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