A TIME-honoured art - beautiful to watch and difficult to master - side-saddle riding is perfected and taught by a select few.
Australia's own Samantha Taylor is one such rider.
Ms Taylor will provide visitors with a rare glimpse of the sport when she performs at Equitana, to be held from November 18 to 21 at the Melbourne Showgrounds.
Assisted by three other riders, Ms Taylor will demonstrate the art of side-saddle riding and the training techniques used to create a harmonious and productive relationship between horse and rider.
Her sessions will provide onlookers with a history of the sport, while also entertaining them with jumping and working demonstrations, all while in full costume.
Dating back to medieval times, the riding style was developed in Europe as a way for women to ride a horse in a modest fashion, while wearing fine clothing.
Now, the style is testament to the skill needed to jump and work while sitting aside.
Equitana marketing manager Marketa Mensikova said the side-saddle display would add variety and mystique to the event.
"There is just a small number of people preserving the skill - it's a very niche sport - and it's beautiful to watch," she said.Ms Taylor, a mining engineer in the Northern Territory, placed third in the British National Side Saddle Show last year.
