SUSAN OAKES, Irish side-saddle rider, talks world records, female empowerment and Styrofoam walls
What is side-saddle class? It's an equestrian discipline. Basically, it's the way that ladies rode their horses when they went out to accompany the gentlemen. It was all about modesty. In the old days, it was considered rude for a lady to ride astride.
This was based upon a spurious theory that riding astride would damage a woman's reproductive organs.That's right. To be honest, I don't know if women ever really believed that was the case. It was more something that society – or men – told them to do. Riding side-saddle is very difficult. You don't have your right leg there for balance, so you need to be very skilled and in tune with your horse.
Given that this style of riding was originally imposed on women, and it clearly inhibits them as riders, why not just say good riddance to it?What we're doing is keeping a tradition alive.
Denying women the right to vote was another proud tradition from that era. Any interest in keeping that alive?No, times have changed and ladies have moved with them, even if we are still doing things in the traditional way. We're trying to make side-saddle riding more accessible, and less elitist, so that everyone can give it a shot. I think we're empowering women.
Could you describe the saddle you use?It's a horn and a pommel. When I sit, both of my legs are on the left hand side of the horse. So all of my weight is distributed between my right hip bone and my right knee.
That must require a pretty high level of fitness?Yes, your stomach muscles really get a great work-out because that's what you use to keep your upper body in line. So you would get a flat stomach very quickly riding side-saddle.
Given that the demands of the sport are so rigorous, what is its appeal?Side-saddle is an art. It's elegant and ladylike. It's lovely to be able to maintain and be a part of a movement that dates back so far and is still going today.
How are you judged in competition?At a show, the judges assess the horse as it walks, trots, canters and gallops. Both horse and rider are assessed. Then the judges get up and ride the horses themselves to get a feel for them. Then the horses are stripped of their tack and walked around. There's a lot to it.
Do men compete? Some men may compete, if they've had an amputation or something. But I've never seen it personally.
Describe the outfit you'll be riding in. The habit is a jacket and skirt, which covers both of the lady's legs. Underneath the jacket, you wear a waistcoat. And there's a top hat and a veil covering your face. The style is quaint and very appealing to the eye.
The regulations are extremely precise. The height of your top hat is stipulated to the millimetre .. . Yes, we're certainly being judged on a lot more than a casual spectator might realise.
The rules also cover what angle your hat must be worn at relative to the ground and state that your horse must have an uneven number of plaits .. . Yes.
Has it occurred to you that this sport may have been invented by someone with OCD?No. Back in the day, that's what the rules were. Other equestrian disciplines have changed and moved forward since then. In side-saddle, nothing has changed.
How strict are the judges?They're strict, but not too strict. Often you will see ladies who haven't got things 110 per cent. The Side-saddle Association is great. If someone is short something, we try to borrow it somewhere for them. Some ladies will wear a shorter skirt than is strictly allowed occasionally. But if it's close enough, that can be overlooked.
You're hoping to break a world record at the Dublin Horse Show. Tell us about that.On Saturday, I will be attempting to break the world record for the highest side-saddle jump. Two weeks ago at Aintree, I set a world record of 5ft 8in over a triple bar. This time I'm going to jump six feet over a wall.
Finally, they say there are no stupid questions .. . that's not a concrete wall, is it? It's Styrofoam or something? It's a puissance wall. It's not rock solid. If the horse falls short, some part of the wall will fall down.
A Lindt Side-Saddle ‘Concours D’Elegance’ class takes place on Ladies’ Day, August 16th, at the Dublin Horse Show
