The Society of Sidesaddle Storytellers

The Society of Sidesaddle Storytellers Telling the story of women and horses throughout history.

We provide living history programs and riding demonstrations to inspire the next generation of women to be interested in all things horse, historic fashions, and the struggle for women’s rights.

Recently I received a painting from the wonderfully talented .chomicki that she created for an exhibition at the Devon H...
06/07/2026

Recently I received a painting from the wonderfully talented .chomicki that she created for an exhibition at the Devon Horse Show. This was a painting based off a photo took of me which has become one of my all time favorite photos. I’m wearing my antique late 1800s riding habit in it. It’s so special to have such lovely memories preserved in painting and photograph form. I’m so honored she thought to paint me and it’s something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. This painting is incredibly meaningful! Didn’t Liz do an incredible job with this? I’m absolutely obsessed and can’t wait to find a place to hang it!

Join us at the beautiful Mabry Hazen House June 13th from 11-3pm for a day celebrating all things sidesaddle! We will b...
05/28/2026

Join us at the beautiful Mabry Hazen House June 13th from 11-3pm for a day celebrating all things sidesaddle! We will be doing short presentations and riding demos throughout the day starting at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, and 2:00. Booths will be set up exhibiting historic fashions, antique sidesaddles, carriages, and antique photos. We will also have a special collaboration with the lovely ladies from the new suffragette museum in downtown Knoxville. Guests will also be welcome tour the historic mansion and learn more about the role they played in helping Knoxville become the great city it is today. Additionally, if you have a Girl Scout, we offer a free patch they are able to earn at the event. This is a free program but donations are welcome to support the Mabry Hazen House. If you love horses, women’s history, and fashion, this is the event for you! visitknoxville

05/10/2026

Okay horse girls, where are my Heartland fans? Do we love this show? Hate this show? Love to hate this show? Regardless, there’s a lot of fun horse moments and a lot of good soap opera drama. Here’s a little sidesaddle clip from Amy and Ty’s wedding. Okay, I know it’s hard to judge from ten seconds of riding, so I won’t say anything about the posture here. Anyways, it’s always fun to see a sidesaddle out in the wild! (Thanks for alerting me to this gem!)

Thank you for sharing this online! 🐴📕
05/08/2026

Thank you for sharing this online! 🐴📕

I had the pleasure recently getting to do a sidesaddle program for the Pigeon Forge Public Library. We started off insid...
05/05/2026

I had the pleasure recently getting to do a sidesaddle program for the Pigeon Forge Public Library. We started off inside with a PowerPoint on the history of riding aside and ended outside with a short riding demo. I had the nice surprise of getting to meet Toni Engstrom in person who brought one of her one beautiful sidesaddles to share with us. My favorite history teacher from high school also made an appearance! And and came and were kind enough to take photos! (And of course the husband baby sat the horse outside for me while we were in the library. It truly takes a village! We had a great turnout for this event and it was a lovely group of people to speak to that were very interested in history and were excited to learn more about sidesaddle. As always, I’m thankful for opportunities like this to share my passion with people! Thank you for having us out!

We have many wonderful portraits and paintings of Queen Victoria riding sidesaddle. Riding aside was something she felt ...
05/01/2026

We have many wonderful portraits and paintings of Queen Victoria riding sidesaddle. Riding aside was something she felt was important not only for her to do, but for her ladies-in-waiting and daughters to do as well. This would have been the standard for “proper”Victorian-era women. Riding sidesaddle at this time was considered essential for modesty and elegance. During her reign, Queen Victoria rode side saddle along with other women of status who wanted to be able to keep up with their men. This was liberating for them in a way in a time when there were still many constraints against them.

Take note of the handsome man in the kilt. John Brown (1826–1883) was a Scottish personal attendant and trusted confidant to Queen Victoria, who served her for over 30 years after Prince Albert’s death in 1861. As a loyal Highland gillie, Brown offered essential emotional comfort and companionship, though his close, informal relationship with the Queen generated significant controversy and rumors of a secret marriage.

The first painting is titled “Queen Victoria” and was painted by French artist Edouard Boutibonne in 1856. This painting depicts her wearing a uniform inspired by that of a Field Marshal.

The second painting is by John Frederick Herring Senior, specifically titled “Sketch of Queen Victoria, The Prince Consort & HRH Prince Albert Edward.”

The last photo is one of Queen Victoria’s sidesaddles. It was made by Gordon & Co, London and includes a quilted pigskin seat and panel. This particular saddle was first used by her at a review in 1856.

Queen Victoria was an avid equestrian and respected leader. She held the throne for 63 years.

Address

Knoxville, TN
37918

Telephone

+18659639407

Website

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