exciting post day & book review

I have had some amazing packages this week and this is one I have been after for years. Technically I already have one but its currently in Sweden (and has been for more years than I care to admit too! the joys of getting older) with my college roommate who 'borrowed' it for a while.


Its called 'Side-saddle riding for beginners' by Charlotte Brailey Kneeland and illustrated by Jan Olson Floyd. Its produced by the International Side-Saddle Organisation who are the people I approached in order to locate the book again (having a memory less impressive than a goldfish with Alzheimer's) I could not for the life of me remember who wrote it or the title, so gave the lovely lady who runs their online shop a long winded description of the book and fortunately she figured out the one I meant and had one available.

A paperback book abut A4 size on its side 64 pages long and is stuffed full of the most wonderful, clear and easy to understand line drawings which is a godsend if you want to have a straightforward and no-nonsense explanation of a side saddle. It doesn't faff around either with the history aspect, this book covers the basics showing the parts of the saddle from the offside, nearside, underneath and aerial views. How to find the correct fit for the rider, for the horse and how it should look and common fitting faults.  It goes over how to girth up correctly and the difference between the most popular side saddle makers saddles.  It also clearly shows the different types of safety stirrups and what girths to use.  Then onto the riders position, common faults and how to correct them and a great series of drawings illustrating the habit and how it works plus what is expected from a turnout in a show class (covering American style and UK). Finally it has several pages listing side saddle reference books which is very handy.

I have several side-saddle books and just find this one the best for concise accurate explanation, other books will go more into how to ride side-saddle where this one concentrates on getting essentials correct like fit etc. I can see this book being a real boon for people wanting to do some performance classes with their model horses.


  I don't feel its right to share pics of the pages inside (apart from obvious copyright issues) the authors have done a good job and its well worth finding a copy but I have included pics of the front and back cover so you know what to look for.  Here is a link to the place where I got my copy from
http://www.thesidesaddlery.com/