Customer Reviews

All About Riding Side-Saddle (Allen Photographic Guides)

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4 star:		(2)
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This was a very good book, the photos are clear and the writing concise. I just wish it were longer!

I just read "All About Riding Side-Saddle". It is not exactly a book, more like a booklet. All the more impressive, then, how much information it manages to convey. This is partly due to the photographs, which are very good, very instructive. It is high time that the general public - well, the riding part of it, anyway - are made to understand that riding side-saddle is not only stylish and elegant, it is also quite easy. Provided, of course, that you have access to a good saddle and a horse who accepts a "one-legged" rider. (The non-riding public should be kept in the dark, the easier to be impressed by elegant side-saddle riders,lol)

If, like me, you are a novice to side-saddle riding, this little booklet is a goldmine of useful information. I only wish there were some way to have the horses read it! There is, however, a couple of things that I miss, being as I am a very demanding person. The reader is obviously supposed to be as new to side-saddle riding as I am (twice, in a fairly horrible saddle, fitting neither the horse nor myself!). And to the inexperienced rider, the question arises: How do I post to the trot, or canter, with those confining saddle horns over my thighs? How does jumping function?

Another thing is etiquette. We are being acquainted with the English way of dressing and behaving, admiringly well acquainted in such a small space. But perhaps the book might benefit from including other customs? Lots of people prefer riding with a wide skirt, without breeches. Also, other headgear than bowler or top hat is used. No mention is made of show riding either, be that single or quadrille. I realize that this is a very small part of side-saddle culture, but it's there, and ought to be mentioned.

Having gotten that off my chest, let me say that this is a most valuable book that I highly recommend. It is easy to read, easy to understand, and prepares you well for the side-saddle and for other publications on the subject, which may perhaps be more comprehensive, but could not possibly be more clear.

I was really disappointed with the length of this book; honestly it is more like a chapter in a book rather than a book in itself.

This is a good booklet as far as it goes. It has wonderful pictures and is very clear, but there are many things it does not cover. For instance, I think I need to use a queen (a pad attached to the fixed horn) for my position to be correct, but this book does not even cover that...and not all of us can afford to have a custom-made sidesaddle. Nor does this book cover anything about historic costumes/habits, or historic techniques of aside riding that might be appropriate for certain show classes.

Being English, this book of course does not talk about any type or Western aside riding. I did not expect it to, but I do want to point that out to any potential American riders.

It's an okay booklet. I give it 4 stars for the photos and text, but 3 stars for the length.