And a relieved barn owner!

Originally I had talked to my barn owner, who is an excellent seamstress and can make almost anything, about altering my sidesaddle jacket so it fit me better. She had agreed to do it but is quite busy, hence why I took it to a tailor for a quote.

Last night I broke the news to her that I had taken it to a tailor to have the alterations done. I was a little worried she would be put out by me taking it to someone else. As it turns out she was quite relieved! We chatted about how much work it would be to pretty much take the jacket & lining apart to make the alterations; a LOT of fiddly work. She said what the tailor was charging me for the alterations was more than reasonable and jokingly offered to pay for it just so she didn't have to do it! LOL

As our conversation progressed, she offered to make me a vest, saying those were very easy. So now I get to go fabric shopping!! For someone so hopeless at sewing, I absolutely LOVE to visit fabric stores. I see all of the gorgeous fabrics and have visions of all the amazing things that could be made from them.....just not by me!

I think I'd like a traditional canary vest and perhaps something a little fancier like a yellow satin. I'm tempted to make them a backless style to reduce the bulk under the jacket & so it doesn't get as hot in the summer.

Isn't this one nice?

The next dilemma is the buttons.... What kind of buttons should I get? And how many buttons should be on a vest? I've seen some pictures of hunt vests and they look like they've got 8 or so buttons. Seems like a lot!

And of course, while I was looking for pictures of yellow vests that I liked, I got a bit sidetracked....

How smart does the purple vest & stock tie look under a black cutaway jacket look! (I know, I'd probably get crucified for even thinking of wearing purple under a habit....but....but.... it's so pretty!)

Orrr..... How about a nice sage green habit? I just love this too.

A Magical Tailor!

I think an essential part of every ladies wardrobe should be a good tailor. Ok the tailor doesn't actually have to reside in your wardrobe but it's important to know a good one!

I found this wonderful little lady, Mrs. Wong, that does custom tailoring and makes suits etc. I used her once before on a historical dress I had purchased that was a tad too big for me. She did an absolutely FANTASTIC job and her prices were very reasonable.

Ok so maybe it's not just sidesaddle that fascinates me, I love all old/antique type things!

Anyways, remember the navy blue habit I purchased after Christmas? Well it fit well but just not quite right so I decided to take the jacket to Mrs. Wong to see what she could do (and more importantly, how much it would cost! ). The verdict was that the shoulder pads (ick, ick, ick!) were too big and not put in the jacket properly so they kiiindof made me look like a football player... LOL. In addition to that, the sleeves were HUGE, I think I could have fit my leg into them, just too much material. So I asked about having those taken in too. She pinned one sleeve a bit shorter and what a difference it made! The coat looked elegant like it should! She was also going to add another button on the front to pull the bust in a bit.

And all for $65! I was pleased that it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg to get done!

She had some absolutely gorgeous English and Italian suiting material and of course I had to ask how much she would charge to make a full outfit consisting of a jacket and long skirt. $800.... Yeowch.... That's not gonna happen! I'm sure it'd be absolutely gorgeous if I could afford it though!

While we were tack shopping on the weekend I found a bunch of great deals, one of which was a nice white show shirt for $18! I realized that I had a pink, blue, purple and yellow shirt, but no white one. It looks really sharp with the navy blue habit!

I also found this while parusing the internet..... Isn't it gorgeous?? I think I might just have to own one.....

It's a silk brocake stock tie.... pretty...




So I have the habit, white shirt, matching navy breeches and whip.


Now I just need a top hat and veil....

And a nice yellow vest.

And a pair of brown gloves (which should be the easiest out of it all to find!) and I'm set for showing!

Next part of the puzzle...finding a show to go to!!

Off to BC!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I've been so busy and haven't had time to think about a new post topics. I'm off to BC for the weekend to visit a friend and do some tack shopping! I'll be back on monday, maybe I'll have some neat finds to share with you guys!

So for now I'll leave you with some neat pictures! For when riding sidesaddle on a horse is no longer a challenge, you might try one of the following...

Why not try a mule to start off with?

And then try your luck on a bull. (He looks like he might need some spurs to get mooooving).

Perhaps something more exotic is what you fancy?

Or for a real challenge, try riding an ostrich!
And when you're bored of riding, teach him to drive!

Decisions, Decisions.... On to my newest scheme....

A couple of years ago I tried to breed my mare. It didn't work out and I was left with a HUGE vet bill (3x what they quoted me....$3K for two cycles...) and no foal. I swore that I wasn't going to try that again.

But now that spring is approaching the temptation to try it again has crept back into my head.

Four things I will do differently this time:

1. First and foremost, I'm going to take Brigit in to the vet clinic, before I purchase any stud services and have her cultured and biopsied to make sure that this is even a viable option. We cultured her last time and everything was ok but it would be a good idea to do both, she's no spring chicken and if there's something wrong it could be a huge waste of money to even try.

2. I'm going to find a nice stallion that's local. Last time I used a stallion from Colorado and had the "goods" shipped up. The container rental, pick-up fees & shipping were EXPENSIVE. Plus I think it would be a better idea to use a local stallion so everything is really really fresh.

3. I'm going to use a vet that I have more confidence in. The vet I used before just didn't seem to exude confidence when it came to deterimining when the mare was ovulating or that we actually were going to get her bred.

4. I'm going to wait until mid-May to mid-June to breed. I think the last time we tried it was just too early in the year and her body was still in "winter" mode. Aside from that she was a touch on the lean side (not skinny, just not as fat as she should have been) from coming through a cold winter. Plus I really don't want to have a new baby when it's -40, snowing and icy outside thank you very much!

Don't you think these two would make pretty babies?

The only downfall to breeding Brigit this year is that I'd be really nervous to take her anywhere to shows or clinics or anything like that. She's kind of a nervous horse - doesn't get upset just nervous - and I'd worry about her getting stressed out and aborting....

I'm not too worried about finding other horse's to ride because there are lots around. I was just looking forward to doing a pile of sidesaddle stuff this year with Brigit! Ya can't do it all thought right?

Decisions, decisions....

The rules & traditions of Sidesaddle - gloves

Riding sidesaddle has so much history and therefore a lot of interesting rules to go by. I find it so fascinating.

Gloves: Gloves apparently must not be black as only ladies in mourning wore black gloves, and therefore shouldn't be riding! Plus black gloves were dyed and they would stain a lady's hands. A natural light brown or "chamois" glove was the acceptable thing to wear. Otherwise brown gloves are appropriate. And plain cotton knitted or crocheted gloves were supposed to be worn for rainy weather so the reins didn't slip out of your hands. In an appointments class the cotton gloves are supposed to be tucked under the billets on the offside of the saddle with the tips just peaking out.

Last week while we were at an antique store I happened to find a pair of really delicate little chamois gloves, they were waaay too small for my hands though. Otherwise I would have snapped them up!

Really riding sidesaddle IS safe!

A lot of people seem to assume that riding sidesaddle is very precarious and insecure. I'll let you in on a little secret... it's not! It's actually quite secure and comfortable once you build up the right muscles. That's why ladies of the Victorian and Edwardian era and some today, are able to do just about anything sidesaddle.

One story that I heard was that the Cavalry used to employ a sidesaddle when they were trying to break a really rank horse because it was nearly impossible to come out of. I'm certainly not wanting to test that theory though but so far I haven't felt like I was going to come off. My mare has thrown in the odd crow hop and aside from me not appreciating her antics, I still felt secure.

Originally ladies had to ride sideways behind a man. Or sit on a saddle that had a plank on one side (to rest their feet on) and be led by a groom. These saddles were definitely not very secure at all and restricted the ladies to walking while being led. Then a saddle with an "upright head" was developed that allowed the lady to sit facing forwards. This gave her the luxury of being able to steer her own horse and go faster. These saddles were still not very secure but better then they had been. Then came the development of the "leaping head". This increased a ladies security greatly as she could now use her left leg to grip as well. Nowadays saddles with only one pommel are considered unsafe.

If your saddle fits your horse correctly and you are sitting correctly, your weight is distributed evenly. Even though your legs are off to one side.

One thing riders should do to ensure their saddle is secure and thus safer is to use a girth with no elastic. The elastic can cause your saddle to not be tight enough and thus potentially slide. It's nearly impossible to find a girth that does not have elastic these days as I've discovered. I had to look high and low for one and ended up finding one at a local used tack store. New ones have to be special ordered.
The balance strap on the saddle (the one that goes from the rear right hand side of the saddle to the front left hand side of the saddle) ensures that your saddle doesn't slide sideways or "torque" when you are riding, especially jumping. See the strap that runs from the back right side of the saddle down towards the girth? That's the balance strap.

Originally ladies wore full, long skirts but they could be stepped on by the horse or caught on something, or worst of all, be caught up on the pommels of the saddle and the lady could be drug. During the edwardian and victorian times a simpler habit was developed. The lady wore tall riding boots and breeches and an "apron" overtop. This apron had much less material than a full skirt and was usually constructed so that it would come undone if the apron became hung up. Modern day riding aprons usually have a velcro closure.

Very old saddles also had a stirrup bar that resembles what most english saddles have today. These were a problem and had caused ladies to be drug if their foot was stuck in the stirrup because the leather would remain attached from the saddle. A mechanism was developed to release the stirrup leather & stirrup in the event of a fall. The mechanism remains closed when you are on the horse but if pressure is put on the mechanism (ie your weight as you come off the horse) it pops open, thus releasing everything. This is why you can't use a regular "english" stirrup leather.

Safety stirrups were also developed to prevent the foot from being caught up. These are really interesting. They basically look like a stirrup within a stirrup. The inside stirrup is hinged and has a break at the top. If you fall the stirrup basically comes apart. The inside stirrup tips backwards and then pops open to release the foot.

I've also recently heard that it's a very bad idea to use a peacock stirrup (the safety stirrup with the rubber band on the outside). They are actually only meant for small children. The weight of an adults can cause the stirrup to bend.

I feel like I've met someone famous!

Monday night I had the opportunity to drop my saddle off with Betty-Lynn Tattersall. What an amazing lady.

They have a little workshop on their farm that had so many different sewing machines, rolls of leather, pictures and all kinds of other neat stuff to look at. She was working on a new saddle when I arrived. When I brought my saddle in Betty-lynn and her husband began to look over every detail of my saddle. It was so interesting to listen to. They think my saddle is much older than was originally thought. I was told the saddle was 10-20 years old but upon inspection, Betty-Lynn thinks the saddle is closer to being made in the 1920's. How neat is that? She said that the quality of the leather and the fine stitching details were non-existent in saddles of today. We don't have that kind of leather anymore (different tanning processes) nor do we have the sewing machines they did back then.

It turns out that not all that much needed to be done to the saddle to fix it up. She was going to patch some holes in the linen underside, replace/lengthen the overgirth (I can baaarely get it done up as is!), touch up some stitching that's come undone, replace the sandwich case D's and replace some nails that have come out in the gullet.

I'm supposed to go back tomorrow to pick my saddle up. I'm really excited to see it and I'm even more excited to be able to stay a bit longer visiting with them this time. I didn't get a chance to see Betty-Lynn's sidesaddle "museum". She has a large collection of sidesaddles that she's acquired over the years and fixed up. I can't wait to see it! She was telling me that she has a set of matching saddles; a man's western and a lady's sidesaddle. How neat!

I asked her how she got into making her own sidesaddles and she told me that she got one sidesaddle that was in such bad shape that she just started taking it apart. Once she had it apart and started to repair it and put it back together she said "I can do this!" and found a tree maker to get her started. And the rest is history! She's sold her saddles all over the world.

She also makes sidesaddle outfits and showed me a binder full of pictures of what she's made. I think I need another couple of outfits........ hehe

It seemed like I was only there for a short period of time but in reality it was over an hour. I really didn't want to leave but I had to meet up with a coworker. It was so neat to have someone that shares the same passion for sidesaddles to talk to in person. I could have sat there all night listening and learning.

Anyways, that's all for tonight! It's been a long day and I'm tuckered out!