Riding habits

[Miche_Todd]

Ok, I think I have narrowed my dress decision down to a couple of things. Now, a couple of questions about riding habits. What type of fabric would be PC for me to use? And also, who makes the best riding habit pattern. I know Period Impressions has one, but I wasn't sure about it. :-)

[annarose]

I'm interested in this as well, if anyone has any info.

Sincerely,
Anna Rose Ard

[ElizabethClark]

The best fabric for a habit is solid wool. Wool releases horsey odors and dirt/mud/sticks. You want to find a fairly light-weight, but firmly woven wool, in a darker solid color. The hems of riding dresses (and sometimes of dresses that are intended for generalized hard outdoor use, such as westward immigration) are often faced with leather--chamois weight. This takes the abuse of boots, saddle parts, etc better than a regular hem facing, and is slightly water-repellent; it also adds weight to the skirt hem, which is important when moving quickly.

There isn't a pattern out that I would actually recommend, though. Period Impressions often has problems with accuracy, drafting, and level of instruction; Heidi Marsh patterns often suffer from the same problems.

You might, however, get hold of some of the "Drafting System" and "Tailoring System" books put out by R.L. Shep (reprint), as they do have diagrams and such for women's riding gear, if I recall correctly. You'd be doing up a muslin version, and fitting it down, then using period techniques to construct it; you're more likely to get a good result working this way than by a PI or Marsh pattern.

[Hank Trent]

You might, however, get hold of some of the "Drafting System" and "Tailoring System" books.

I was looking for a frock coat pattern, and just ran across this today. It's 1855 London, but it's a tailor's manual with text and plates, for a riding habit.

Text at:
http://digital.library.cornell.edu/c...image;seq=0002

Plates at:
http://digital.library.cornell.edu/c...image;seq=0002

Edited to say: Well, those links just take you to the table of contents, not to the pages themselves like I hoped. That's okay. On the first one, go to pages 126 and 127, and on the second one, go to page 83 and 84.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[annarose]

Mrs Clark, Mr. Trent,

Thank you both very much for the info. I was thinking of a wool, but the bit about the leather facing is quite interesting.

Sincerely,

[10nycav]

There is a drawing of a riding habit in Henry William Herbert's Hints to Horse-Keepers, 1859, which recently became available in reprint. You should be able to find it easily on ABE or alibris. The drawing is in the chapter on Riding for Ladies, "Written by a Lady." Also covers period etiquette for ladies' riding. Riding for ladies on a larger scale was somewhat new in the Eastern states, having first been popularized in agricultural fairs in the Midwest in the early 1850s. (Herbert describes the advent of ladies'riding in Ohio in his magnum opus Horses and Horsemanship of North America.) Somewhat amusingly, most men in Ohio at the time drove horses rather than rode them, so they had to take up riding too to escort the ladies!!

Ken Morris

Mrs Clark, Mr. Trent,

Thank you both very much for the info. I was thinking of a wool, but the bit about the leather facing is quite interesting.

Sincerely,

[annarose]

There is a drawing of a riding habit in Henry William Herbert's Hints to Horse-Keepers, 1859, which recently became available in reprint. You should be able to find it easily on ABE or alibris. The drawing is in the chapter on Riding for Ladies, "Written by a Lady." Also covers period etiquette for ladies' riding. Riding for ladies on a larger scale was somewhat new in the Eastern states, having first been popularized in agricultural fairs in the Midwest in the early 1850s. (Herbert describes the advent of ladies'riding in Ohio in his magnum opus Horses and Horsemanship of North America.) Somewhat amusingly, most men in Ohio at the time drove horses rather than rode them, so they had to take up riding too to escort the ladies!!

Ken Morris

Thank you so much for the information. That's really interesting about the riding in Ohio. I'll try and find that book. Thanks again!

Sincerely,