Blazing Side Saddles…
A lady enters the ring, riding side-saddle on a dapple- grey. In a sharp blue habit, top hat and veil, she cuts an imposing figure, at once graceful and fiercely strong. Soon she is flying over a rather unusual jump: a dinner table, complete with china, silverware and crystal, a butler standing next to it with a tray of champagne glasses. In mid-air, she reaches out her arm nonchalantly and catches a flute. The crowd explodes into applause.
The star is Becca Holland of The Flying Foxes, a team of accomplished ladies who compete on horseback – and also hold down full-time jobs. In fact, watching their show inspired me to learn side-saddle myself.
Influenced by sepia photographs of an adventurous ancestress, riding side-saddle had been my dream since childhood. Then, through a chance meeting, I found my own side-saddle mentor: Trisha Badham, horsewoman, photographer and mother of five, who helped and encouraged me.
My first attempts were more Mr Bean than Downton’s Lady Mary. I struggled with where to put my hands when a pesky knee was in the way, among other hardships. But I took lessons with Lucinda Sims, granddaughter of the legendary Betty Skelton, the doyenne of modern sidesaddle. And I was soon addicted to this stylish skill that, had it not been for The Side Saddle Association and women like Mrs Skelton, may have disappeared altogether.
I visit Becca Holland at Audley End House, where she works for English Heritage. Over coffee, she tells me that, after training as a psychiatric nurse, she worked with horses around the world and taught herself to ride side-saddle. She is writing a book on the history of equestrian women, and for one display she commissioned a replica of the grey habit worn by Elisabeth of Austria in a famous portrait.
But far from being a relic from the past, the art of side-saddle is enjoying a renaissance, along with the vogue for all things vintage. Detractors may say it is disempowering, but Becca counters that, historically, ‘Just about the only time women could take on men at their own game was on their side-saddles, galloping across country with courage and elegance’.
For me, the art is all about stylish, inspiring women such as the Empress Elisabeth, the Skelton ladies, or Lucy Glitters, the plucky showgirl-turnedhuntswoman in Robert Smith Surtees’s novels. So I ask Becca about her role models: ‘My ultimate heroine is Her Majesty the Queen, riding sidesaddle at Trooping the Colour, in her smart uniform and red lipstick.’
A modern-day Lucy Glitters, Becca has hunted side-saddle in some of England’s toughest countryside and even in Ireland, where the jumps are bigger and the going is tougher. She started the display team ‘to show people that side-saddle can be fun and anyone can do it: you don’t need to have a perfect show horse.’
The Flying Foxes are certainly the irreverent face of the sport. With their daring, humorous displays, they are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the more formal Side Saddle Association competitions, where every detail of dress and technique is strictly regimented, scrutinised and judged to the highest standards. The purists may frown upon them, but the Foxes are infectious in their enthusiasm. ‘I must learn to jump,’ I tell Becca, ‘so that I can enjoy my three favourite things at once: horses, vintage fashion and champagne.’ ‘We’ll have you flying in no time,’ she beams, as I am introduced to Henry, my mount for today, and none other than the champagne-trick protagonist. Becca assures me that he is a true gentleman who loves jumping. So do I, but I usually rely on both my legs – leaving the ground in this precarious position is mildly alarming. With instructions to keep my right shoulder back in order to stay straight over the jump, we start over a small cross-pole. Initially, I am allowed to hold on to the balance strap with my right hand. But after a few attempts, I let go of the strap and hold out my right arm – visualising that imaginary champagne glass.
Becca Holland, of The Flying Foxes, on Henry.
The jump goes up. And up. And up again. I picture myself as Lady Mary following her dashing Turk over a ditch. Once or twice I am completely out of sync with Henry, but Becca is such an encouraging teacher. ‘You can do it!’ she cheers me on. We fly smoothly over a rather large fence, and it feels divine.
I have now earned my right to raid the dressing-up box. While Henry rests, I decant myself into a navy wool habit (cutaway jacket and apron, never ‘skirt’), buff waistcoat, silk stock and, here’s the best part, top hat and veil. I am giddy with excitement. Even Becca, who does this for a living, still gets a rush from the swoon-worthy attire: ‘Put me in a couture gown and diamonds, and I wouldn’t feel half as elegant as I do in my riding habit.’
Her work, however, goes beyond frills and thrills. Passionate about teaching, she gets great pleasure from watching her pupils improve and enjoy themselves. They range from small girls to grandmothers: many older women find it easier to ride sidesaddle. And it’s not just for the ladies: her latest recruit is an injured soldier who, having lost his lower right leg, found riding this way enabled him to get back in the saddle.
As we hack towards the big house for our photoshoot, the transformative power of costume makes me feel poised and elegant. Galloping across the lawn in the Capability Brown grounds, with the pale, rambling house as a backdrop and pewter clouds overhead, I am having my Lady Mary moment, at last. And it might take a bit more practise, but I can almost see myself catching that fizz flute.
For more info: www.flyingfoxes.org.uk or www.sidesaddleassociation.co.uk
Lucinda Sims runs side-saddle introductory days on her own horses, priced £80: 01794-388157, www.harroway.co.uk
The star is Becca Holland of The Flying Foxes, a team of accomplished ladies who compete on horseback – and also hold down full-time jobs. In fact, watching their show inspired me to learn side-saddle myself.
Influenced by sepia photographs of an adventurous ancestress, riding side-saddle had been my dream since childhood. Then, through a chance meeting, I found my own side-saddle mentor: Trisha Badham, horsewoman, photographer and mother of five, who helped and encouraged me.
My first attempts were more Mr Bean than Downton’s Lady Mary. I struggled with where to put my hands when a pesky knee was in the way, among other hardships. But I took lessons with Lucinda Sims, granddaughter of the legendary Betty Skelton, the doyenne of modern sidesaddle. And I was soon addicted to this stylish skill that, had it not been for The Side Saddle Association and women like Mrs Skelton, may have disappeared altogether.
I visit Becca Holland at Audley End House, where she works for English Heritage. Over coffee, she tells me that, after training as a psychiatric nurse, she worked with horses around the world and taught herself to ride side-saddle. She is writing a book on the history of equestrian women, and for one display she commissioned a replica of the grey habit worn by Elisabeth of Austria in a famous portrait.
But far from being a relic from the past, the art of side-saddle is enjoying a renaissance, along with the vogue for all things vintage. Detractors may say it is disempowering, but Becca counters that, historically, ‘Just about the only time women could take on men at their own game was on their side-saddles, galloping across country with courage and elegance’.
For me, the art is all about stylish, inspiring women such as the Empress Elisabeth, the Skelton ladies, or Lucy Glitters, the plucky showgirl-turnedhuntswoman in Robert Smith Surtees’s novels. So I ask Becca about her role models: ‘My ultimate heroine is Her Majesty the Queen, riding sidesaddle at Trooping the Colour, in her smart uniform and red lipstick.’
A modern-day Lucy Glitters, Becca has hunted side-saddle in some of England’s toughest countryside and even in Ireland, where the jumps are bigger and the going is tougher. She started the display team ‘to show people that side-saddle can be fun and anyone can do it: you don’t need to have a perfect show horse.’
The Flying Foxes are certainly the irreverent face of the sport. With their daring, humorous displays, they are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the more formal Side Saddle Association competitions, where every detail of dress and technique is strictly regimented, scrutinised and judged to the highest standards. The purists may frown upon them, but the Foxes are infectious in their enthusiasm. ‘I must learn to jump,’ I tell Becca, ‘so that I can enjoy my three favourite things at once: horses, vintage fashion and champagne.’ ‘We’ll have you flying in no time,’ she beams, as I am introduced to Henry, my mount for today, and none other than the champagne-trick protagonist. Becca assures me that he is a true gentleman who loves jumping. So do I, but I usually rely on both my legs – leaving the ground in this precarious position is mildly alarming. With instructions to keep my right shoulder back in order to stay straight over the jump, we start over a small cross-pole. Initially, I am allowed to hold on to the balance strap with my right hand. But after a few attempts, I let go of the strap and hold out my right arm – visualising that imaginary champagne glass.
Becca Holland, of The Flying Foxes, on Henry.The jump goes up. And up. And up again. I picture myself as Lady Mary following her dashing Turk over a ditch. Once or twice I am completely out of sync with Henry, but Becca is such an encouraging teacher. ‘You can do it!’ she cheers me on. We fly smoothly over a rather large fence, and it feels divine.
I have now earned my right to raid the dressing-up box. While Henry rests, I decant myself into a navy wool habit (cutaway jacket and apron, never ‘skirt’), buff waistcoat, silk stock and, here’s the best part, top hat and veil. I am giddy with excitement. Even Becca, who does this for a living, still gets a rush from the swoon-worthy attire: ‘Put me in a couture gown and diamonds, and I wouldn’t feel half as elegant as I do in my riding habit.’
Her work, however, goes beyond frills and thrills. Passionate about teaching, she gets great pleasure from watching her pupils improve and enjoy themselves. They range from small girls to grandmothers: many older women find it easier to ride sidesaddle. And it’s not just for the ladies: her latest recruit is an injured soldier who, having lost his lower right leg, found riding this way enabled him to get back in the saddle.
As we hack towards the big house for our photoshoot, the transformative power of costume makes me feel poised and elegant. Galloping across the lawn in the Capability Brown grounds, with the pale, rambling house as a backdrop and pewter clouds overhead, I am having my Lady Mary moment, at last. And it might take a bit more practise, but I can almost see myself catching that fizz flute.
For more info: www.flyingfoxes.org.uk or www.sidesaddleassociation.co.uk
Lucinda Sims runs side-saddle introductory days on her own horses, priced £80: 01794-388157, www.harroway.co.uk