On March 15, the National Sporting Library & Museum organized a Side Saddle symposium, attended by approximately 50 enthusiasts, including local ladies of the habit. Also in attendance were Guest of Honor Rosemarie Bogley, retired side saddle competitor and champion who hunted aside for many seasons, and two very local presenters whose aside successes and achievements continue to put Middleburg on the side saddle map, Penny Denegre and Devon Zebrovious.

Concurrent with the symposium, the exhibition "Riding Aside By The Book" offers a collection of books, paintings, illustrations, photography and ephemera in the Forrest E. Mars Sr. Exhibition Hall of the Library. A special exhibit highlights Bogley's show career with trophies and photos. Participants were also treated to docent tours of the NSLM's exhibition, "Foxcroft School: The Art of Women and the Sporting Life"; this history and tribute to women equestrians will run in the Museum until August 23.

The primary draw for the Side Saddle symposium participants revolved around their own involvement or growing interest in the tradition and art of riding aside. Six presentations about every possible facet of ladies side saddle—the history of side saddle through the ages, what ladies really wore, equestrian fashion in the NSLM collection, how side saddle is judged, the many disciplines and sports engaged in aside by ladies today, riding aside and the tradition of aside horsemanship—proved interesting, informative, entertaining and, at times, fascinating. The symposium ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with enough breaks throughout the day for conversations with the various presenters.

The stellar panel lined up by NSLM included Shelley Liggett (NJ), Jeanne Whited (Centreville, VA), Alison L. Goodrum, Ph.D. (UK), Mark G. Thompson (Aiken, SC) and moderator Lorian Peralta-Ramos (CT).

Liggett, the current president of the International Side Saddle Organization, has ridden aside most of her life and, although she doesn't show much anymore, indulges in many equestrian activities from hunter paces and parades to competitive mounted orienteering aside on her three horses. She is a certified aside instructor and her Camp Leaping Horn at the US Equestrian Team Foundation (Gladstone, NJ) in July is a very popular three-day total immersion side saddle experience for all levels and ages.

Side Saddle's historical roots in foxhunting received excellent representation by two local ladies: Denegre, Jt-MFH Middleburg Hunt, and Zebrovious, who not only belongs to Middleburg Hunt but also rides aside to hounds. Denegre and Zebrovious gave the final two presentations because they spent the morning foxhunting: Denegre astride as master of the hunt, Zebrovious as a member of the first flight.

Scheduled last in the day's agenda, Denegre spoke about her early days of riding and showing under the tutelage of her mother, Pat Rogers, and began riding and competing aside in the mid-1970s. Over the years Denegre has enjoyed great success, winning 12 national side saddle championships. She is a familiar sight at the Upperville Horse Show where every June she competes in the Ladies Side Saddle division and astride in the Amateur Owner Hunter. Denegre campaigned True Blue to numerous championships, including Upperville from 1992 to 1998. After Denegre retired True Blue from showing, she has partnered with the elegant mare Garnet to win many aside classes and championships and last year finished second in the USEF National rankings.

Zebrovious has represented Middleburg Hunt seven times in the annual Virginia Field Hunter Championships, both aside and astride. With her field/show hunter Quest, they earned the 2013 USEF National and Zone 3 Ladies Side Saddle Hunter championships. It was not a surprise when Zebrovious arrived at NSLM in full formal foxhunting attire for riding aside; the cut-away jacket and canary vest were totally flattering and the apron looked uber-gracious with tall black boots.

In 2007 Zebrovious and George Kuk exchanged wedding vows on horseback before a day of hunting with Middleburg. The bridesmaids, including Denegre, all rode aside and the best man and his ushers wore hunting pinks. Most of the bridesmaids swapped their side saddles to ride astride, but three ladies went hunting aside (all wearing proper safety helmets): the bride, her maid of honor Karen Harris, and Tracey Cover.

"The symposium is one of the ways to get more women involved in such an interesting and historic style of riding," said Zebrovious. "I do everything I can to encourage people to try riding aside."

Zebrovious and Kuk train and sell field hunters; if suitable as ladies' hunters, the horses receive a sound foundation in going side saddle as well. In January 2013 Zebrovious hunted aside in Ireland at a special hunt at County Meath when 50 ladies from near and far rode side saddle. She and her husband are planning a hunting trip next October to Leicestershire, England.

"We're hoping to go out with the Quorn, what they call hedge-hopping, and we're very excited about that," said Zebrovious. "The ladies are hoping to do another gathering in 2015 in Ireland – we had a fabulous time. The most important thing about hunting aside in Ireland is to have a good ladies horse, one that doesn't pull too much and knows the country really well and knows how to jump a ditch and bank!"

When Zebrovious, Maggie Johnson, and Susan Corwin went to County Meath, the organizer Susan Oaks had found and ridden 60 horses sidesaddle to make sure they were suitable ladies' hunters. Oaks happens to hold the current world record in side saddle high jumping – 5'9" – previously set in 1915 in Sydney, Australia. Oaks wanted the County Meath side saddle gathering to break the record in Guinness Book of World Records, which it did with 50 ladies aside, besting the previous record of 40.

The symposium ended with a reception, photos and plenty of interesting asides, conservation-wise.

For more information: www.nsl.org