The  Kilkenny woman who taught the Queen to ride side saddle 

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II has spawned acres of newsprint exploiting every possible angle on the story of the monarch’s life. A unique local story relates to the Kilkenny woman, Doreen Archer Houblon of Kilmurry House in Thomastown who taught the Queen to ride a horse side saddle.

This style of riding was devised as a modest way of riding a horse while wearing elaborate fashions so was perfect for state occasions. The Queen was taught the skill as a young girl and may have been influenced by her predecessors, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria who both rode side saddle as young women. 

According to Ciara O'Connell from Side Saddle Ireland, "To ride side saddle, the rider sits squarely on her horse with her spine centred over her mount’s spine, the shoulders, hands and hips are also square to the horse. Only one stirrup is used, for the left foot. The right leg is curved around the upper pommel with the toe facing down and the calf pressed against the saddle. This grip is called ‘the purchase’ and is what keeps the rider in the saddle, along with their core tummy muscles. 

"Women riding sidesaddle, were told to imagine that they had a thumbtack under the seat of the near side of the saddle which encouraged them to transfer more weight to the off side. They had to remember to keep their right shoulder and right hip back to keep them straight, to keep their shoulders dropped down away from their ears, and to visualise that they were held up by a string from the top of their head so that they were sitting as tall as possible."

Doreen who was born in 1899, was the 3rd cousin of Mildred Ann Butler the renowned watercolourist of Kilmurry, Thomastown,  and was an expert sidesaddle rider. Butler left the estate to Doreen on her death and the horsewoman subsequently lived at Kilmurry with her husband Major Ricahrd Archer Houblon DSO until her death in 1977. 

By all reports a feisty character she is reported to have made single male guests stay in the “bachelor’s wing” at Kilmurry, to discourage any hanky panky with female guests. 

Doreen wrote the definitive book on the historical riding style, Side Saddle, in the fifties, which was then re-published in the seventies. She was responsible for the invention of the Houblon head  (a modification on a saddle known as a leaping head with an angle built into the flat side) which let the rider lean farther forward without lessening their grip.   

Lady Desart's enduring legacy to modern Kilkenny

Jewish heiress was recognised with a seat in Seanad Éireann 100 years ago for her philanthropy

For 19 years Doreen prepared Queen Elizabeth’s horse for the marching of the colours in London by regiments of the British Army. This Trooping of the Colour ceremony is a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, and marks the official birthday of the British sovereign.

Each year, one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the Household Division is selected to troop its colours through the ranks of guards. The colours were once used on the battlefield as a rallying point. During the ceremony, the monarch travels down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade in a royal procession with a sovereign's escort of the Household Cavalry. After receiving a royal salute, the monarch inspects the troops of the Household Division and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery.  

Queen Elizabeth regularly rode sidesaddle in the Trooping of the Colours parade for many years with Doreen acting as her stand-in for the rehearsals which took place beforehand. The Queen’s expertise as a side saddle rider was displayed when in 1981 Marcus Simon Sarjeant fired six blank rounds from a starting pistol at the sovereign when she came past riding her 19-year-old mare Burmese, during the event. The horse was momentarily startled but the Queen brought it under control, stayed on and was unharmed. She last rode side saddle in the ceremony in 1986. 

Reportedly HRH did regular refresher lessons with Doreen to keep her side saddle skills sharp and the two women enjoyed a close and enduring bond due to their mutual love of horses.  

May they rest in peace and ride side by side into eternity together.