Camp Leaping Horn
Side Saddle Sisterhood
Side Saddle Clinics and Education
Michelle "Shelly" Liggett
Michelle "Shelly" Liggett has been riding aside since childhood. Back then, it was a novelty, and no formal side saddle education was involved. She began to learn to ride aside seriously about 30 years ago. Since then, she has taken clinics and lessons with some noted side saddle instructors, such as Audrey Bostwick, Joan Bennett, Roger Philpot, Kit Roszko, Sue Sisco, and others. All this formal education paid off in 2003, when she competed in Ladies Side Saddle Hunters, finishing as reserve champion in USEF Zone 2, and 3rd nationwide. Shelly has finished in the ISSO top ten a number of times, finally earning ISSO National Champ status in 2013.
Shelly is deeply involved in the world of side saddle. She has held positions in both the International Side Saddle Organization and the World Sidesaddle Federation, and is a member of and holds an “A” instructor certification in the Side Saddle Association of the UK. Her current passion is instructing beginner clinics - she LOVES helping people get started aside. She also loves to parade, and rarely passes up an opportunity to parade aside throughout the US. She was one of the founders of the Liberty Network, (www.liberty-network.org) a not-for-profit group formed to encourage, promote and advance the art of side saddle riding.
Shelly shares her life with her husband John, 5 sons (2 biological & 3 foster), a good-sport of a horse named Bryce, a sweet Great Pyrenees and two purrers. When not horsing around, she enjoys reading and knitting, sewing costumes and traveling.
Heidi Opdyke
Heidi has been riding side saddle for 25 years and has been an advanced instructor for 22 years. She has received Instruction from some of the best SS teachers in the world - Betty Skelton, Billette Mackie and Roger Philpot. Heidi showed horses extensively in England to the top level and has ridden most disciplines aside. She now regularly hunts side saddle with Spring Valley Hounds. She has also showed here in the states on her husband’s hunt horse, Curtis (Suffolk Punch) and says that even though he is not a typical show horse, he’s good fun. Heidi is an SSA certified “A” level instructor as well as an SSA certified SS judge.
“My aim is to create the safest seat and most elegant picture I can...when these are achieved the side saddle rider should be in a position to ride almost any horse and be able to get the best from that horse.”
Anne Moss
Anne Moss started riding aside in 1999 and has enjoyed riding aside in ladies hunter divisions, in dressage, foxhunting, exhibitions, demonstrations and parades. Her passion is developing each horse’s and rider’s confidence and balance through skillful equitation, clarity of aside and astride aids with the goal of improved harmony and understanding. Her teaching is strongly dressage based and focuses on the horse and rider biomechanics in relation to balance, comfort and performance.
She graduated United States Pony Club with an 'A' rating, is a (UK) Side Saddle Association 'A' certified instructor, USDF “R” judge, earned USDF Bronze and Silver Medals riding aside, has evented through intermediate 3-day level, ridden competitively in dressage through Intermediare level and has foxhunted for 30 years. . Anne is an SSA certified “A” level instructor as well as an SSA certified SS judge. She notes that as “President of the Side Saddle Dressage Queen Club,” she is actively recruiting members…
Emma Brown
Emma has been riding sidesaddle since 1996. Her riding ability is demonstrated regularly by hunting with the Quorn Hunt, She enjoys showing - working hunters, dressage, show jumping, team chasing, short films. She also produces sideways horses from novice level.
Emma’s part of a Display Team called “A bit on the side” which has performed at varied venues including
Blenheim Horse Trials for the last Seven years, Grimsthorpe country Fair and Blaston show.
She’s been in the ride off at the SSA Nationals several times on various horses and she was among those at
Aintree who challenged the SS high jump record – made 5ft 8in ! She has competed internationally at events
including Ireland, France, and recently Spain.
“I enjoy encouraging riding sideways at any level either on the flat or jumping with the confidence to promote
correct riding attitudes and effective horsemanship, knowledge of saddles, turnout tips, and show ring craft.”
Roger Philpot
Roger Philpot, Great Britain, known as the “grandfather of side saddle” has been teaching the lost art from his home in Warwickshire for 33 years. He teaches both astride and side saddle to all ages and levels of riders both in the UK and abroad. He regularly travels to clinics round the country and judges side saddle showing competitions. For nine years, he served as head of that nation's Side Saddle Association, the mother ship for those who are serious about the pursuit around the world. It is only recently, he says, that side saddle, which dates back to the 15th century, has gone “mainstream”, thanks to what is being hailed as “the Downton Effect”.
Gay Mitchell
Ms. Mitchell has been riding side saddle since 1973. In 1980, she qualified for “The Garden“ on a $500 horse. Gay believes in an holistic (and humorous) approach to teaching aside riding, that deals with every horse and rider as a unique team and therefore must have an individual and unique riding plan. She especially loves riders and horses with special issues and needs.
.jpg)
Angela Greer
By day, Angela is a veteran high school biology teacher; by weekend, an impassioned side saddle fox hunter in the New York/New Jersey area.
Although Angela has been riding astride for over fifty years, side saddle is a relatively new challenge for her within the last decade. She began riding competitively as a junior equitation rider, having some success with OTTBs. A brief ten-year stint as a professional, she dabbled in the hunter, jumper, and dressage arenas, wherever her current horse or clients dictated. During her riding career, she has always looked to learn from and emulate the best. As a result, Angela has been lucky to have ridden with many icons in the industry: Mike Hennigan, Peter Leone, Anne Kursinski, Michael Matz, Kathy Kusner, Robert Dover, Heidi Erickson, our own Anne Moss, and the late but never forgotten Roger Philpot. Each of these amazing riders/instructors, as well as the horses she has been privileged to ride, have taught and continue to teach her to be a better horseman and person.
This will be her 5th CLH! As an instructor, Angela hopes she can impart to you the technical skills and confidence to follow your side saddle passions whatever they may be.