Riding in a Corset

Ah, the corset. Outside of historical reenactment circles, it’s viewed as a symbol of female oppression. Most people think of movie scenes where women are getting laced so tightly they can’t breathe and ultimately pass out (in fact, it’s become a common trope in movies). A sign of female liberation is the woman taking off her corset and never wearing one again.

But is that historically accurate? We’ve come to find out that no, it is not the case. “Photoshop” existed then as it does now, so those teensy waists we see in some pictures were, in fact, due to manipulation. In reality, regular corset wearing drew the waist in on average 2″. That’s not all that far off modern shapewear. Corsets weren’t designed just for beauty, but also for comfort. They distributed the weight of the layers of skirts (with separate pockets which were quite generous) ladies wore instead of having all of that weight sit on the pelvic wings. They also supported the bosom, much better than many modern bras. They also acted as back braces, keeping the spine straight and, in a way, forcing proper lifting technique on their wearers (and women were most certainly more physically active on average then than they are now). Corsets were generally made to fit their wearer and for specific purposes. Of course, just as some women overdo shapewear, some women did (and still do) tight-lace to extremes, but a well-fitting corset does not cause damage to the ribs or internal organs. Ultimately, they fell out of favor as times changed, plus they are hot in the summer and do require extra layers to wear (one under, one over if you’re going for historicity). However, women wore some kind of support like a corset for more of the last several hundred years than not, and in fact, there are corsets for men as well (and not just Rocky Horror type corsets…).

Some of my students know that I occasionally wear a corset. Some days out of curiosity, some days for back support, some days for an odd reason: helping my own biomechanics. I find them to be surprisingly comfortable, and they create some interesting results that I would not have expected. I’ve made a few observations about riding in a corset and, on rare occasions, teaching a student in a corset. One: If your back is too loose when you ride, the corset forces your hips to loosen up instead. For a good pliable seat, the hips (as in the ball-and-socket joint) need to be loose. A lot of times, we grip with the thighs and let the back take over shock absorption, but that makes the back move in ways it’s not supposed to. It can restrict the horse, make us waste a lot of energy, and make things a lot more complicated as we go up the levels. However, it can be hard to really feel what it is to let our hips be loose, and while we can get it on the longe, it can be hard to translate to regular riding. The corset allows no choice but to keep the hips loose. Two: Corsets are restricting in some ways and not in others. They don’t allow much forward-back or side-side movement, but they do allow rotation. This is also good to bring awareness if someone tends to habitually lean in turns, flying changes, or lateral movements. Three: If someone suffers from back pain but can’t find a good brace for their backs, a corset is a reasonable alternative. In fact, that’s why men’s corsets were developed. They’re rare, but they do exist. Four: For people with extremely tight backs that tend to spasm, corsets are helpful to help “reset” how the core should work. You’d think that you wouldn’t use the abdominal or back muscles at all in one, but you still do. For people who have a movement pattern where the low back tends to lock down and tighten up for whatever reason, the corset can help “reset” this by allowing the muscles in the back to relax, as they don’t have to stabilize the back, and then there’s freedom to use and develop the abdominal muscles to do the job the back muscles are overdoing.

It is important to remember, like all similar tools, that it’s important not to lean on the corset as a crutch and reason not to develop the abs and spinal stabilizers, but to use it as a tool to get feedback and help develop new muscle memory. Braces tend to get a bad rap; a lot of physical therapists and chiropractors warn heavily against them. However, I’ve found that in cases where stability is needed and can’t be achieved when a rider is putting everything they’ve got into it, a brace is very helpful. Corsets are, to me, more comfortable than the average back brace. It is important to make sure you find a well-made corset, because a poorly made one will be uncomfortable. My personal favorites are by Damsel in this Dress. Hers are front-lacing, which makes them easier for newbies, and they’re very well-designed and solidly made. My only complaint is they’re a smidge long in the back for riding, but she now has a new model that is a little shorter.

While this isn’t a blog post promoting everyone to go out and buy a corset, I do hope that by posting this, more people may put to rest some of the myths behind corset-wearing. They’re not the torture device that Hollywood tends to portray, otherwise I highly doubt that women would have put up with them for so long. In fact, I do think women were more able to perform many household tasks more easily because of the support that “forced” them into healthier lifting technique than we tend to practice today. Because of how they affect our own biomechanics, I do feel that everyone ought to ride in a corset at least once just to get a feel for the way it makes you ride. It’s a fascinating feeling, and even if it’s not something you use every day, it’s certainly a fun piece of our history that brings us a little closer to those who came before us.

-Emily Wright