Modest Riding Missies or Victorious Amazons? A Gender Historical Approach to the History of Women’s Equestrianism in Switzerland (1900–1940)

Abstract

Until the beginning of the 20th century, female riders were subject to rigid gender-specific conventions in Swiss equestrian sport. They were expected to ride in the demure yet dangerous side-saddle, to practise the sport in a moderate manner and to dress according to fashion dictates of the time. In addition, women were not allowed to participate in equestrian competitions. However, in the 1920s and 1930s, female riders started to challenge these customs by riding astride in breeches or participating in women-only competitions. From the mid-1920s onwards, they were also admitted in mixed-gender competitions, where their performance was directly comparable to that of male riders. Through their sporting successes, women riders refuted the female gender role and the prevailing gender order in a concrete, visible and measurable way. Despite these interesting insights in relation to the category of gender, women’s equestrianism in Switzerland has received little scholarly attention. This article thus provides the first account of the sport’s development in Switzerland from a cultural, gender and sport historical perspective. Furthermore, by examining how general trends for female liberation are reflected in equestrian sport, the contribution explores the interference between societal gender norms and historical sporting practice.