In the 18th and 19th century a lot more women were taking up riding so they needed something they could wear riding sidesaddle. The tailors and dressmakers of course made something that would go with the mainstream of fashionable clothing. In the 1850’s and 1860’s the habit was a jacket style bodice that went up high on the neck with a long basque and peplum. A peplum was a sort of ruffle at the waist and a basque was a jacket extension and was almost like a corset. In the 1860’s another part of the riding habit was a very large, long, full skirt. True sidesaddle riding was done with a full skirt that reached the ground. Since women could not put hoops and cages under their skirts while riding they wore stretched petticoats to add fullness to their skirts. Also, they also wore breeches underneath all that, these breeches were usually made of wool or leather, they didn’t add much volume but they still added some. Even though women took precautions while riding by not wearing hoops there were still so many accidents caused by their skirts and their large outfits they had to wear to look proper. The bottoms of their outfits got get tangled in the horses feet or could get tangled in the saddle horns when women fell off. In the 19th century a safety apron was created to try to stop so many incidents, but because women were so concerned with looking proper riding their outfits, including the riding habit were just too much to ride with.
"Victorian sidesaddle riding habit 1 - Corsets and Crinolines." Vintage Clothing & Antique Fashion - Corsets & Crinolines UK. Web. 01 Jan. 2010.
