Side saddle - particularly natives

TommyTwoShoes

TommyTwoShoes

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I know we have some side saddle fans on here and I was just wondering if anyone did it on a native?

My New Forest is rising 5 and going to be broken in this summer. I've always wanted to give side saddle a go and wondered I'd look daft as an adult riding a native pony side saddle. I'm 5'4" and he's roughly 14hh.

Obviously he'll be broken properly and I'll have plenty of side saddle lessons first before I give it a go with him! :D

Pictures of your side saddle natives would be great if you had them! :)
 
I have some photos of someone sidesaddle on a Dales at a show a couple of years ago.
 
my friend does it on a fell!! I do it on a wc cross, there are classes and special rosettes at the side saddle national show for natives.
 
We've had my daughter riding SS on Exmoors (2) a Welsh C entire & a section B.
She also used to compete on others for their owners too :)
Did pretty well, inc at SS champs 2 yrs on the trot (pardon the pun!:D )

Regret photos are old stuff so are in frames on the side & not on a pc tho.
 
I took my friend's Sec D in a dressage show for a laugh as 1) he had never done dressage- ever and 2) he had never done side saddle- ever. We came 6th with 63% in the Intro A test but not too shabby considering there was about 10 in the class, lol.

Finding a vintage side saddle to fit them in the most difficult thing as they were built for TB's and many natives are quite wide and have very low or no withers to held stabilize the saddle but the new saddles being built out there tend to fit them better. The saddle I used on Jacob was a Barry Swain side saddle (yes, he makes them too!) in an XXwide tree. It was difficult fitting him as he is 14.1hh, short coupled and I'm 5'9"! I was lucky enough to find this particular saddle that was wide enough for him and that I could JUST manage to squeeze myself on without it going past his last rib.

This was us :)

jacob1.jpg

jacob3.jpg
 
If you Google 'Barbara Minecci', you will find images of her on her gorgeous coloured cob, representing Belgium at the 2012 Paralympics. Sidesaddle.

She is one of my heroes.
 
Tommy two shoes I did mean to say don't rush with him, make sure everything is established astride before you go side saddle and it may help to have some sidesaddle lessons on something that knows the aids etc before trying on your own, the fit of the saddle is crucial, I find my horse is fine with it unless I do it all the time, 2 classes at a show is enough for him, so I ride him astride first then do last 10 mins in sidesaddle, i don't do it all the time and as I am getting old lol find it exhausting. Think it would be better for him if I was more balanced if that makes sense.
 
Many years ago I rode my Highland side-saddle.

As others have said I think the difficulty is finding a saddle to fit, I was lucky enough to be lent one that fitted my boy.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone, it's great to hear about other people and their natives.

Side saddle definitely isn't something I'll be doing any time soon, I've just always wanted to give it a go. Plus I think my boy would look ever so pretty with someone riding him side saddle :rolleyes:
 
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