astride

/əˈstraɪd/

When you're astride something, you have one leg on each of it. A typical rider on a horse is astride the horse.

This is a word for a physical position that is easiest to visualize by picturing riders atop horses. While you can ride a horse sidesaddle — with both legs on one side — the usual (and safer) way to ride a horse is astride. When you're astride, you have one leg on each side of a horse: you've mounted the horse. If you climb a fence, you're probably going to find yourself astride the fence for a moment before you get to the other side.

Definitions of astride

1. adverb

   with one leg on each side
   “she sat astride the chair”

   synonyms: astraddle
2. adverb

   with the legs stretched far apart