"Our mission is to encourage, promote, and advance the elegant art of side saddle riding through educational , practical, and competitive forums, and develop fellowship and sportsmanship through side saddle equestrian activites"
- Liberty Side Saddle Network Board of Directors
of Jackson, New Jersey, is a professional trainer who specializes in side saddle. She is a Side Saddle Association (UK) and International Side Saddle Organization (ISSO) certified “A” instructor and has coached and shown many United States Equestrian Federation side saddle hunters to national and zone championships and reserve championships. Kit has competed very successfully at The National Side Saddle Championship Show (UK), The International Side Saddle Championship Show (France), and the Northern German Side Saddle Show (Germany).
As a junior rider, Kit competed from the small pony hunters to the jumpers, including winning at the National Horse Show (Madison Square Garden). She is a graduate of Montclair State College (now University) and a life member of the USEF, United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), and ISSO.
Maureen Kearney holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science Degrees in Elementary Education. She retired from teaching four years ago.
A member of the now defunct Abington Hills Hunt Club, she indulged her interest in riding to the hounds.
She has owned two horses, and ridden countless others here and abroad. A yearly autumn trip to the Virginia Hunt Country keeps her riding skills sharp.
It is with great pleasure that she will serve as the Recording Secretary of the Liberty Side Saddle Network.
Dianne "Dede" Parisi graduated from Colorado State University with a BS degree in Health & Physical Education. She taught physical education for 8 years while still working at Hasty Acres.
Dede's parents started Hasty Acres Stable when she was 9 years old, by purchasing 11 lesson horses and taking in boarders. Today, there are 42 horses, 140 students a week, and a very rewarding handicap riding program. Having a family business provided Dede with the opportunity to work in all capacities of the business, making her a well-rounded person in the horse world.
Dede has had many horses in her career, and showing was always a big part of her life. Nothing seemed to be as rewarding as what she achieved riding side saddle, however. After purchasing her first side saddle from a classified ad, and after 7 weeks of self-teaching, Dede went to her first aside horse show - the Middlesex County Horse Show. From there, it was continuing success and reward. Dede credits a good part of her advancement to the guidance, training and support of fellow Liberty Network board member Kit Roszko, which led her and her horse Senator Mickey to win 7 USEF Zone 2 awards and 2 USEF national awards. As Dede says, "So many great experiences and other awards to numerous to mention, have come from just changing my saddle!"
Photo by Carolyn Penna
Kelly, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, is the managing editor for Clinician’s Brief, a veterinary journal affiliated with the North American Veterinary Conference. Kelly graduated from Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor of science degree in large animal science and a specialization in equine business. She and her husband Aaron own Harvest Moon Farm in upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Kelly competed in the side saddle division at rated horse shows with her quarter horse gelding, A Southern Gentleman, with ribbons at the Devon, Upperville, Pennsylvania National, and Washington International horse shows. They also achieved high point awards with the International Side Saddle Organization and placed in the AHSA Zone II Horse of the Year standings. In addition, Kelly has competed through the Preliminary level in eventing with her and Aaron’s thoroughbred Traveler. She and Aaron currently compete in the sport of combined driving with their Welsh pony Merlin.
Arlene is an amateur rider with a diverse background including showing in A/O, Adult Hunter, Equitation Dressage over the last 25 years.
Her interest in riding side saddle developed when the Abington Hills Hunt established at a stable a few miles from her house in NE Pennsylvania. The Hunt Master’s mother had ridden side saddle for many years in Brooklyn, NY. Equipped with all the tack appointments generously shared by this woman, and a most wonderful mare named Terra Nova, Arlene was able to qualify for the National Horse Show her first year of riding aside.
Since then, riding aside has been her main focus, competing in many of the “A” shows in Zone 2. In addition, she has shown side saddle in dressage competitions, Hunter Trials Paper Chases, and a few parades thrown in, for fun.
Arlene owns operates a busy insurance agency in her spare time.
From Newton, New Jersey, Hedi has been riding side saddle for 26 years and has been a Side Saddle Association (UK) certified “A” instructor for 23 years. She has ridden under some of the best side saddle instructors in England such as Billette Mackie, Betty Skelton, and Roger Philpot. Heidi has participated in many disciplines aside including showing, hunting, trail riding, and hunter pacing. She lives in rural Sussex County, New Jersey, with her husband Paul, 3-year-old daughter Grace, 7 horses, and 3 dogs.
Heidi enjoys helping riders of all abilities to ride aside and become the best riders possible, while maintaining a secure seat and presenting an elegant picture. She looks forward to being a director for Liberty Network, promoting side saddle riding to a wider audience, and encouraging all aside riders to have fun and achieve their goals.
Jacqui is a third generation rider. Initially riding hunters on Long Island where she grew up, when at college she rode with the Genesee Valley Hunt and discovered point-to-point racing. She continued to hunt and started eventing after college. To improve her riding took some dressage lessons and having the opportunity to work with many clinicians and attending the early Violet Hopkins clinics provided a background in dressage. Jacqui’s equestrian path has come full circle, with her 18h mare, Just Amy, she started riding last year with the Amwell Hunt.
Jacqui is currently the Director of the Bucks County Horse Park in Revere, PA and coordinates 50 horse shows and events at the Park doing the year as well as supervising the maintenance of 25 miles of equestrian trails.
The way she found herself involved with riding aside is through her daughter, Kathryn. Having found an old western side saddle in the attic of their old upstate NY house, Kathryn spent a year riding without stirrups and no balancing girth to try and learn. After attending a clinic at Liberty Side Saddle show with Heidi, she is now looking for a “real” sidesaddle to continue her education.
Fran has been around horses all her life, and, as she says, "that is a long time!" Fran has shown in many different classes, including in-hand classes. In her early years, she rode western. She was associated with the Windy Hollow Hunt for some time, where she whipped-in to the hounds and was on the Board of Directors.
Also, Fran held the office of President of the Hunt for two terms. Fran was one of the early founding members of the Orange County Dressage Association, served on the board as membership chairperson, and, from that position, moved up to Vice President. She became President when Nancy Lowey moved to Virginia and served two terms.
Recently, Fran has shown in the Pennsylvania breed shows in in-hand classes. She was ranked fourth in the Amateur Handler classes, and her horse Autumns Equinox (known around the barn as Knoxy) was Reserve Three Year Old in 2003.
photo copyright 2004 by BHS Photography and used with permission.
Ann has had a long and ongoing involvement with horses and can't remember anytime in her life when they haven't played an important part.
As a junior rider in the 50's, Ann hunted regularly with the Spring Valley Hounds, then based in Mendham, NJ. Hunting was a winter activity, so in the summer she competed at shows in the Hunt Seat Equitation and Working Hunter divisions. A high point, at this time, was placing reserve to Michael Plumb in the Maclay Championship at Madison Square Garden.
Riding aside for Ann came much later when, in the late 70's, ISSO and Charlotte Kneeland were actively reviving this style of riding. Ann thought it a wonderful way to expand her riding experience and was hooked immediately. It was a coincidence that Sanda, the horse she started riding aside on, was bred by and bought from Mrs. Henry Paxson.
Ann remembers watching, in amazement, Mrs. Paxson in the 50's riding Chappaqua aside in the Working Hunter Lady To Ride classes. Over the past, many years, Ann has also competed in the Adult Jumpers, Dressage, and numerous Hunter Paces.
Ann has been a life long resident of New Jersey and now resides in Summit. Where, when she isn't tending to the two horses in her backyard, she is busy with orders for commissioned portraits of animals. She says she likes to paint all animals, but admits horses are her specialty.
Roger is well known as a leading international sidesaddle instructor, and has produced the Sidesaddle Rider of the Year in England for the last 14 years. His home base is Pittern Hill Stables, in Warwickshire, UK (http://www.pitternhillstables.co.uk). He frequently travels to the US and to the European continent to conduct sidesaddle clinics and give instruction. He is a class A instructor for SSA, as well as a past chair of SSA, and past chair of the Judge Examination and Training Board. Roger's specialties include saddle fitting, with emphasis on improvement of the rider, and sidesaddle jumping.
The photo of Roger during down time at a side saddle clinic is by Carolyn Penna.