**SOLD** FOR SALE: UK 15 1/2" (US 20") CHAMPION & WILTON SIDE SADDLE

**April 2013 update, this saddle has now SOLD**

Up for sale is my 15 1/2" (US 20") Champion & Wilton side saddle dated February 20, 1897. Leather seat and pommels with linen and serge panels.

A nice little saddle for those starting out to learn on, hacking out, growing kids or for lower level showing and dressage shows. The tree is sound, there is no movement in the fixed head, the tree points are also sound and when I peeled back the gullet channel liner, there is a reinforcement bar so could be used for jumping although for hunting, a saddler would be best to look at the saddle to see if it is up to hours of constant hard riding over 5' hedges!

The faults:
-Some old non-active moth holes on the seat (about 7) and on the top of the padded safe (see photo) where your right calf hides it.
-Leaping head cover was roughly sewn back together when extra padding was added to it.
-The L shaped C&W stirrup skirt has lost a few of it's front stitches near the edge but is still strongly sewn onto the saddle.
-Extreme tip edge of cantle has some movement where it has been knocked over the past 116 years and the leather at the back of the cantle has cracked because of it. A common fault with old saddles due to the sharp unprotected edge of the seat. Still ridable as is and there is no bagging in the seat from sagging seat webbing (there is a comfy "sweet spot" for your right seat bone from previous owners though!).

Has a handy off-side pocket with rough hand stitching edging it. Off-side overgirth has had an extension sewn onto the original strap to make it longer. The girth straps (billets) were replaced in the 1980's- early 1990's but could do with a conditioning or can be replaced.

The good points!
-Nice comfy sweepy seat for those who don't like the pancake flat seats of 1930's saddles (I hate them!).
-Non lumpy flocking.
-Panels are in excellent condition (linen has marks from riding and some shoe whitener left on it but can be scrubbed up for showing).
-Nice wide gullet channel between the panels and the panels are flocked for a level fit.
-Comes with original Champion & Wilton stirrup leather which is stamped C&W as well as Owen!! Also comes with a modern stirrup iron.

The gullet measures 5" between the tree at the head which according to the NEA Side Saddle Association, is a medium fit or #1 tree. The tree spread between the points taken from the tip of the leather off-side tree point pocket to the bottom tip of the nearside tree point pocket is 17" which makes it a medium, possibly a medium/wide fit if a wykham pad it put on it. The saddle is currently heavily flocked up for a narrow/medium fit to a high withered medium fit.

A beautiful saddle in a hard-to-find size that is in good riding condition for it's age.

£1000 + postage. I will ship anywhere in the world and accept Paypal, cash on collection or bank transfer. The saddle can also be viewed in South Leicestershire and we are about 3 miles from Junction 21 of the M1. You can send me a message through my blog or to crinolinegirl @ corsetsandcrinolines.com (please be sure to remove the space before and after the @ sign. I just put them there to stop spammers from harvesting my email address).

Dianas of the Chase

On February 2, 2013, the Dianas of the Chase race sponsored by Bernard Weatherill (which was the first ladies steeplechase race held since World War Two), was held in Quorn hunting territory at Ingarsby Old Hall.

Unfortunately, I missed the actual race due to traffic mishaps but got there at the end to see the muddy aftermath and the wide smiles on all the side saddle riders.

Luckily, there are some thrilling videos of it on You Tube for everyone who could not attend such as this one:


and this one...


The legendary Susan Oakes (saddle cloth number 10), ended up winning the race and I managed to take some photos of the riders after the race. If any of you ladies recognize yourselves in the photos, please let me know so that I can identify you in them.

I think you will be able to tell by the muddy habits and the happy smiles, that a good time was had by all!

I was also amazed by the size of some beautiful horse lorries too! I could happily travel Hattie in one of them :) There were quite a few spectators who turned up to watch the race too so this sleepy little village had a bit of a traffic problem at one point.

Side saddle race riders coming back to untack and relax after a hard day's racing!

The outside of Ingarsby Old Hall...

and the courtyard at the back of it where the awards presentation was held...

The winners of the Bernard Weatherill Side Sadde Steeplechase race as well as The Household Cavalry Race...

A beautiful Whippy side saddle for sale which was on display in the courtyard (it looked like it would fit Hattie!)...

along with the saddle cloths used during the side saddle race.

The beautiful views of Ingarsby...

and the history of the village...

Although I don't think Hattie and I will be doing the Dianas of the Chase race any time soon, we did "pretend" the next day by galloping and jumping over the ditches filled with rainwater which line the edge of the lane that we hack down!

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope everyone had a good holiday season and that they got the presents they asked for :) Santa brought me a new side saddle stirrup in the newly made size 4 3/4" which will suit my bulky winter riding boots perfectly.

It's been a bit quiet here over the past month as to be honest, I've ridden probably a total of 3 times due to the VERY poor weather and flooding we have been having here in the UK and those have just been quick hacks down the lane when the sun has decided to make an appearance.

All the shows and plans we had over Christmas were cancelled due to the weather as I had planned to take Hattie into the dressage show this past Sunday and do the Prelim 1 test on my off-sider but the outdoor ring was flooded and the clear round jumping show on December 23 (we were also going to jump on the off-side), was also cancelled due to flooding. Our annual Christmas Eve hack to the pub was also a wash out. I've had my red off-side habit for 3 years now and still have not had the chance to wear it! Hopefully for 2013, the weather will be better.

My horsey New Years resolutions for 2013 is to get Hattie to the SSA Nationals in August and go out competing on the off-side. I have also decided to bite the bullet and get my saddler out on Thursday to see which nearsider fits Hattie the best (I only need one as I rarely ride on the nearside) and get them all in ridable condition and once that is done, sell the ones he says aren't perfect for her so there should be some nice side saddles for sale soon.

I'm also getting my reversible restored too (which will NOT be for sale!) and her restoration has already started with a new safe!!

Before with her original chopped up safe...

And after with her brand spanking NEW safe made by my lovely friend, Julia!!

We took a pattern of the original one and then modelled the unknown chopped off bit on a reversible pony sized Champion & Wilton that had been for sale on Ebay last year.

So now mine looks like a normal side saddle too!

Apart from my saddler, Roger, relining the panels, reflocking and replacing all the straps on it, the next item I need to get crafted is a plug for the unused leaping head socket. The original one is long gone so will need to get the screw off the leaping head cast and a new plug made to fit in the hole to cover it up and make it look neat. What is good about how the safe was made, apart from supporting your leg, it is also wide enough to cover up the unused upright head socket eliminating the need for a plug. The original safe did this so Julia made the new one the same way.

It's new reversible "pyjamas" fit it a treat too!

Off-side Jumping- Take Two

So to break up the tedium on winter, I've decided to start jumping again. Nothing high or amazing, we have no pretensions of being the next Ellen Whitaker but just to bide our time until the showing shows start in the spring again.

Hattie will never make a dressage horse as she HATES schooling but I know she likes jumping so have decided again, to incorporate trotting poles and little jumps sneakily into our schooling this winter in preparation for the spring and summer shows that we both love.

Maybe we will even do a few low height clear round jumping shows this winter, even after the fiasco at the one last winter where I was forced to jump 2'!

I have also decided to sell my Whippy side saddle as well. After jumping this past week in that and in my off-side side saddle, I have come to the conclusion that I prefer a sweepy seat over a flat one. My Whippy, as much as I love it, just doesn't fit me as well as a sweepy seat does (like is what on my Beck, Champy and my Mayhew) and is hard on my hip due to it's flatness. I know flat seated saddles are held up as the "ideal" side saddle but from my own experience, some people's conformations can't take them.

I found jumping in my off-sider more comfortable and I could get a really good purchase with my left leg on the safe. This was the first time I have jumped in my Beck Morrow and the first time jumping on the off-side since August 2010 when I fell off my old off-sider and broke my rib. I don't want to do THAT again so have to make sure I concentrate.

Hattie and I first attempt, she just kind of trotted over it...

A later attempt, good left shoulder back too...

We'll just have to keep practising and see how we go!

May I Introduce...

...Major Reuben Llewelyn Farley!

I had the fortune of Major Farley's great nephew, Tom Farley (Francis Dashwood Farley's grandson), contacting me with additional information on his great uncle and kindly sent me a photo of the dashing Major in his uniform.

It is so wonderful to put a face to the name written on an old saddle label and give the history of this side saddle, the human aspect. Tom informed me that his great uncle sadly died in 1954 and never married so had no direct descendants. I am very happy then, that Champy has ended up in my care instead of being in that antique shop's rubbish pile with a forgotten history.

Thank you Tom for all your help!

December 7, 2012 update! I was informed by a WWI re-enactor that judging from Major Farley's uniform in the photo, that this picture was taken right before the war in c. 1912- 1913, that he was a volunteer due to his side cap  and that the rank badges on his sleeve cuffs denote that he was a Lieutenant when the photo was taken. In 1917 the rank badges were moved off of the sleeve cuff to the shoulders as they were too conspicuous to snipers!