I had the pleasure of speaking with a very special lady who lives in Canada by the name of Airlie. She told me about a beautiful riding habit she had in her possession that had been in her family since the late 1800s, belonging to her Cousin Louie.  She tried to place the habit in a museum but no one she approached would have it.  Unbelievable to my way of thinking. Long story short she happened across my website and called. She was looking for a home for the habit where it would be taken care of and cherished. I cannot tell you how touched and honored I am that the habit is now here with me. It is such a special treasure to me and I would like to share photos of the habit and its history with you all. So here it is in Airlie’s words.

 

Airlie wrote: “Cousin Louie was born on October 24^th,1884. I’ll try and get her date of death which was in 1978.  At about sixteen years of age, in 1899  Louie went to Scotland for finishing school and stayed there for two years. This was when the beautiful riding habit must have been purchased. Her mother went over to Scotland to visit her there. She just loved her English teacher so much and wanted to be a writer.

It was at this school on Princess Street in Edinburgh that riding was part of the curriculum.  Cousin Louie often told me how sad she felt for the darling little maids who had to spend hours bushing the mud from the turnip fields where they rode, off the gorgeous riding habit.

 Another darling memory I have is her question to her father.

“Father what do you expect of me?”  His is answer was: “Louie I expect you to be an ornament to Society, to help your mother with the twins and to wash the rubber plant.” !!

Wow isn’t that something.  It certainly wasn’t the answer she had hoped for.

I was visiting my darling Cousin Louie in Winnipeg one summer or spring as I often did. We got talking about riding and I told her that I was going to be taking side saddle lessons that Fall,  offered at our riding club by a woman who was an excellent side saddle rider and even hunted with the Fraser Valley Hunt  over natural obstacles through farmers’ fields etc. which used a drag hunt and a beautiful pack of English Fox Hounds. Thank heaven there were never any foxes harmed.

 Cousin Louie and I went upstairs into the big cupboard on the fifth floor of her amazing rambling house and there in a trunk completely covered in layers of newspapers was the amazing side saddle habit.

                                              

 

 

Cousin Louie after she came home from school in Scotland.  Probably around 1902 or so .

Aunt Sarah Charlotte Ogilvie Playfair on her darling horse Douglas. Cousin Louie loved to visit her at her grand home in Midland Ontario.  I popped in the darling picture of Aunt Charlotte as I love it so and also because she was family and rode side saddle everywhere on Douglas as that was the only way women rode in her generation.

You will notice that the picture is staged . The background is specially set by a famous photographer called Notman who took many, many wonderful photographs in the 1800’s and his son continued taking all sorts of wonderful pictures in the 1900’s in the Montreal area.

 

Airlie and “my darling little grade “Joey” Maple Leaf. What a wonderful little horse he was!! Belgian/ Quarter horse we think.  An angel about 15.2 hands high but so very well built as you can see. We even taught him to drive and we went in parades and did many weddings with my husband’s Irish Jaunting Cart.  What a life”!!

Joey and I (Airlie) at the Hunter Hack Show in Southlands in Vancouver, BC.  Maybe 1974 or so . He was so much fun!! We were the only side saddle competitor!!  I think we got third in the class. We had more fun than a barrel of monkeys!!

INTERESTING FACTS & PHOTOS OF THE ACTUAL RIDING HABIT

Airlie is wearing the habit you have been reading about in this picture and the one below.

The tag in the habit shows it was made by London. H.J. NICOLL & Co., Ltd,. Paris. It has been  constructed from a beautiful , soft gray wool of medium weight. It is lined with silk and cotton. The seam allowances are quite wide. The is quite long compared to habits of today. The skirt  has a right knee pocket, hangs parallel to the ground when mounted, and has a button about 9 inches below the waist band on the right hip to button up the excess fabric while not mounted.

This photo shows the inside of the coat and sleeve opening at the arm pit area. Note the lining of the main jacket is silk but the sleeves are lined with a light weight red and white stripped cotton fabric.

There are no “false” cuffs here. The sleeves actually do unbutton.

This is a typical full skirt of the time period. The hem is                                                                         designed to hang parallel to the ground when mounted.                                                                              You can see the knee pocket to the left of the photo. The skirt is NOT lined and the waist band is a simple fold of fabric to cover the selvage edges. There is a placket on the left side with hooks and a hidden button. There is a pocket built into the placket. Note in  the close up photo below that the hooks and eyes are reversed from what we typically do today. The “eyes” are on the front or right piece of fabric and the hooks are secured to the main body of the skirt or on the left side.  There is also a loop of elastic near the hem of the skirt big enough to put your leg through. This would hold the skirt in place. The 4 inch hem IS NOT weighted.

Cousin Louie— This was how I knew her. She was then Mrs. Hugh Phillipps married to an Englishman who practiced law in Winnipeg, Manitoba where Cousin Louie moved and lived her whole life.

She made many trips to Montreal and Vancouver where I met her at my Cousin Marjorie’s house when Louie was 80. We formed a close friendship and I visited her many times in Winnipeg and had such fun hearing all the wonderful stories of family  and life in the 1880’s and early 1900’s. Great fun indeed. Vibrant and full of wonderful stories until she died at 94.

 

Cousin Louie died Sunday, July 31, 1977

It had never been worn since she came home from school in Scotland and looked like new!!! Although it must have been about 75 years old by then.  I took it home to Vancouver with me when I left that summer and had it for all those years until it took its adventurous trip to Utah!