Tell me more ×
Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

Is it permissible for an Orthodox woman to do horseback riding in an ordinary saddle, or does she have to use a sidesaddle? Furthermore, would she be able to use women's trousers made for horseback riding, or does she need to dress in a skirt?

share|improve this question
We do find many verses that mention women riding on horses, donkeys, etc. – b a Oct 28 '12 at 2:25
1  
@ba, do we know whether they rode sidesaddle? – msh210♦ Oct 28 '12 at 7:27
1  
Maria, orthodox Judaism permits the same things for Orthodox women and for other Jewish women (at least in the vast majority of cases). Is there a particular reason you ask whether standard riding would be permissible for, specifically, an Orthodox woman? – msh210♦ Oct 28 '12 at 7:29
1  
@SethJ, but the question was whether it's permissible, not whether the woman views it as such. – msh210♦ Oct 29 '12 at 0:33
1  
@msh210 Yes, but that depends on whom you ask. If you assume, as many here seem to, that any Halachic discussion must be from the Orthodox perspective, then, sure, it's redundant. But if you don't, it makes sense to specify. – Seth J Oct 29 '12 at 1:33
show 6 more comments

3 Answers

up vote -2 down vote

I am Orthodox and I did it in jeans on regular saddle. I don't see a problem in that, neither did the women who taught me how to ride.

share|improve this answer
2  
Were the women who taught you halachik experts? Are you? – Double AA♦ Jan 25 at 13:29
4  
@Carlita, welcome to mi yodeya, and thanks for sharing your experience! This answer would be more valuable if you could edit in your or your teachers' Halachic rationale, communal traditions, or other source for your and their feelings on the subject. Also, please consider registering your account, which will give you access to more of the site's features. – Isaac Moses Jan 25 at 14:43
Orthodox. I'm not sure that you're using that word the same way many of the users here do. – HodofHod Jan 28 at 0:09
@HodofHod How do you figure? – Double AA♦ Jan 28 at 5:04
@DoubleAA Facebook profile from user's website. – HodofHod Jan 28 at 5:27
up vote 0 down vote

Very loose pants are not allowed: First, because many of them are not tznius; and second, poskim don't allow even the ones that are tznius because it would be opening a can of worms/germs etc...

Women are not allowed to horseback ride in front of men regardless, because it's not tznius. Gemorah Pesachim 3a-b.

share|improve this answer
1  
b"H for cars! Otherwise, apparently women would have to sit at home all day. – Double AA♦ Jan 13 at 20:09
1  
i am not convinced that that is the meaning of the gemara in Pesachim. – josh waxman Jan 13 at 23:48
up vote 4 down vote

Rabbi Barry Freundel (rabbi of Kesher Israel in Washington, DC) said in a Q&A that if a woman is doing an activity more modestly done in pants than a skirt, she should wear women's pants. As examples, he mentioned bicycle riding and mountain climbing. He said there no longer exists an issue of beged ish with women wearing pants.

share|improve this answer
2  
This doesn't answer the sidesaddle issue. – Seth J Oct 28 '12 at 5:05
3  
Should I refrain from answering one because I can't answer the other? One might be able to make a case that riding a horse is no worse than riding a bike, which he explicitly permits. – Ze'ev Felsen Oct 28 '12 at 5:34
1  
Wearing pants is not about beged ish, it's about showing the shape of the legs. So the suggestion is either VERY loose pants, or pants with a skirt on top. – Ariel Oct 28 '12 at 6:56

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.