MJP: Any thoughts on riding sidesaddle? Though we modern folk tend to put that in the same category as corsets, I understand that it could be a very stable and secure way to ride.
SH: The biggest misconception about riding sidesaddle is that people think the rider sits sideways and then twists her torso to face front. That’s not so. She sits facing forward, so there’s no twist to the body. As far as stability in the sidesaddle, the rider’s seat wasn’t all that safe and secure until after the invention of the leaping horn, which is the horn that curves down, over the top of the rider’s left leg. Here’s a picture, to show the position of the legs and the body in a sidesaddle, including the leaping horn. There’s controversy as to when the leaping horn was invented, but the general consensus is that it was *after* the Regency.
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