This first saddle is my Champion and Wilton. It was made in the 1890's and has the more narrow heads.
This beauty is more modern, with the wider heads. I would love to try this saddle!!
..and this one (be still my heart!) is my fantasy sidesaddle! The only thing missing is a seat belt!! It says that you need to have 'narrow' thighs to use this model. Hufff... that may count me out!
So tell me what you think!
5 comments:
Neat blog! I added a link to yours from mine, hope that is ok! I would like to try the middle saddle, with wider horns... I haven't rode aside in a "real" side saddle, but I am totally in love with it and dying to try it!
I'm still torn on which saddle I prefer. I've got a C&W nearly identical to yours and I really do like the narrow pommels, however the saddle rides really uphill. My other saddle, an Aulton & Butler, has wider pommels and a flatter seat and I like it too, however I can't possibly jump in it with the width & angle of the pommels.
I prefer wide pommels myself, though my favorite cross country saddle has narrow pommels so I have thick fleece queens on both heads to make them more comfortable. Rosamund Owen says that narrow pommels are easier to fit than wide.
I don't see how you could possibly ride correctly in the last saddle (a sellier phoenix, I believe) with that pommel placement. You'd have to have a very narrow leg and the offside remnant wouldn't allow you to keep your right leg flat.
More important than pommel width is fit and I haven't found any additional difficulty in jumping in my wide pommel saddles.
I have an original 1901 western sidesaddle. And I like the western style ones better.
My sidesaddle was made by the French saddle maker Mr. Lemaire. It has medium heads, which I like ridding in.
I have tried different sidesaddles because buying my own, and usually I preferred the ones with larger leads.
Jumping was not a problem in any of those as long as the heads' orientation are good and the seat is flat. I found it very difficult to jump in the older Zaldi's model with three leads for example.
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