Author Description

The late 19th century was the last generation that relied on horses for transportation, agriculture and warfare. After thousands of years of supreme importance as working beasts of burden, mechanized power was supplanting horsepower and the animal was emancipated into a hobby, a luxury and a sport. This volume of the Sports She Wrote series offers a comprehensive exploration of women's engagement with horses during this transitional era, featuring 61 articles by 40 women writers, many of whom were expert equestriennes, published from 1856 to 1900. With over 90 illustrations, the collection covers a broad spectrum of topics, including riding techniques, proper attire, stable practices, carriage driving, gambling on horseraces, the evolving role of women in equestrian sports, debates over riding astride versus sidesaddle, and personal narratives of women's independence in the American West. The volume concludes with twelve monthly installments of Horseback Sketches by Jessie Fremont O’Donnell published in Outing magazine in 1891-92, providing a poetic reflection on nature from the vantage point of horseback. Two additional volumes about equestrianism in the Sports She Wrote series are The Horsewoman’s Trilogy and Nannie Lambert O'Donoghue. Other volumes with equestrian articles include Diana’s Outdoor Sports; Women on the Hunt; and Adelia Brainerd, The Outdoor Woman of Harper’s Bazar. Sports She Wrote is a 31-volume time-capsule of primary documents written by more than 500 women in the 19th century.