Astride: Horses, Women, and a Partnership That Shaped America

by Eliza McGraw, Katherine C. Mooney (Foreword by)

Overview

On March 3, 1913, a quarter of a million people gathered in Washington, DC, to watch five thousand female suffragists march down Pennsylvania Avenue, headed by a cohort of equestrians in breeches and plumed hats. From atop a white horse, wearing long white boots and a cloak emblazoned with a Maltese cross, Inez Milholland rallied her compatriots against hecklers. Channeling Joan of Arc, Milholland appeared strong and fearless as she sat astride her horse.

The latter half of the 1800s ushered in a golden age of the horse that found more American women riding—both aside and astride—as they commanded presence in the public sphere. Reporters filed riding-craze stories about Manhattan socialites shopping on horseback, women who exercised on hobby horses, and women who worked as horsebreakers, cattle rustlers, or jockeys. In Astride: Horses, Women, and a Partnership That Shaped America, Eliza McGraw weaves together stories of women who pioneered in worlds such as Thoroughbred breeding, the circus, and horse rescue at a time when American women in general internalized the lessons of horsewomen: take chances, take up more space, and learn to get back on.

From tamers to caretakers and performers to teachers, all worked with horses to buck the status quo. Expressing the idea of femininity with athleticism and authority, these trailblazers changed the way America understood women. Richly illustrated with period photographs, Astride demonstrates that even small changes can advance the fight for progress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781985901285
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Series:	Horses in History
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Eliza McGraw is the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award–winning author of Here Comes Exterminator! The Longshot Horse, the Great War, and the Making of an American Hero and a contributing writer for EQUUS magazine. Her articles have appeared in BloodHorse, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Smithsonian.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Katherine C. Mooney
Preface
Prologue
1. Riding for the Vote
2. Urban Riding, Horse Shows, and Foxhunting
3. Women and Humane Societies
4. Women in Racing
5. Cowgirls
6. Circus Riders
7. Extreme Riding: The Girls Who Dared
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Through an examination of transgressive female equestrians at the turn of the twentieth century, in settings as varied as Wild West shows, the women's suffrage movement, Thoroughbred racing, and circuses, McGraw provides an eclectic glimpse at a fascinating slice of Progressive Era America. Beautifully illustrated and engagingly written, Astride takes readers to a time when the way in which women rode horses truly mattered.

James C. Nicholson

Astride weaves together horse history with the inspiring stories of trailblazing equestriennes. Through McGraw's blend of scholarly research and vivid storytelling, readers will encounter remarkable women—from pioneering suffragists and daring trick riders to devoted horse-welfare advocates, empathetic trainers, and more. Each page whisks the reader on vicarious adventures through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, revealing how women partnered with horses to challenge societal norms or simply revel in the joy of riding. Astride illuminates the powerful bond between women and horses of the past, a connection that continues to thrive today.

Susan Friedland

Astride excavates the way women on horseback shaped America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—and how America, in turn, shaped the horsewoman. In writing about mounted suffragettes, cowgirls, and circus riders, McGraw reveals a hidden history that stretches from New York bridle paths to the wild frontier. Her sixth book highlights both her research chops and a deep love for the American horsewoman.

Emma Hudelson

Astride provides a unique look at the intersection between the feminine side of equestrian culture and the larger relationships between women and men and between women and society at large. An important work. 

Avalyn Hunter

Go for a ride with Eliza McGraw and experience the transformative moment when women partnered with horses to create the New Woman. Meet the equestriennes who dared challenge expectations and showed what the so-called fairer sex could do once astride their equine companions

Jennifer Kelly

Thoroughbred racing enthusiasts who enjoyed the deft and deeply researched historical flourishes of McGraw's Here Comes Exterminator! will be drawn in by her revelations in Astride, which shines a light on women whose long-forgotten accomplishments predate a number of generally accepted 'firsts' in the sport

T.D. Thornton

The world has long recognized the special bond of affection between women and horses, but less well-known is how this bond has provided women access to traditionally male-dominated pursuits in sport, politics, and the workplace. With her deft writing style and impressive use of language, Eliza McGraw discusses in well-researched detail how the woman-horse connection has led to significant change in these areas and others. The result is Astride, a work that both educates and entertains—though not necessarily in that order.

Mark Shrager

Viewing movements toward women's equality through the lens of riding horses, Eliza McGraw's Astride is a charming history book.

Foreword Reviews

Every woman who loves horses and sees them as an important part of her life should read this book. McGraw shows us how integral horses have been in the lives of American women, carrying them into equality over the past two hundred years. After learning about these pioneering female equestrians and how they fought to have the same rights as men within the horse world—and without—I can't help but feel even prouder when I'm sitting astride my horse.

Audrey Pavia

Eliza McGraw explores a little-known chapter of American history that has great resonance today. With fascinating anecdotes and rare period photos, McGraw brings to life the intrepid women who rode astride, challenging social norms and advocating for equal rights. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in history, horses, and American heroes.

Laurie Prinz

Heroines, horses, and history balance in equipoise in Eliza McGraw's fresh and superbly researched Astride. Readers, get tied on, because McGraw takes us on horseback in gallops through Central Park, off high dives from Atlantic City piers, and on fearless suffragette parades through the streets of Washington, DC. What a ride is Astride.

Josh Pons