Happy International Women's Day and Women's History Month, dear horsewomen!

So, why did I choose such a title for this awards book? Well, to be honest, "horsewoman" was originally a nickname given to me by a friend, which is a bit...ahem ahem, naughty, hinting at a certain femdom position :D

However, seriously speaking, the term "horsewoman" is indeed fitting for this competition themed around International Women's Day because it's closely related to the history of women's empowerment. (Again, I'm referring to the literal sense of horse riding here; although its naughty connotation is also somewhat related to the development of feminism, it's not within the scope of our discussion today :P)

Alright, let's start with an oil painting:

You see this girl wearing riding pants astride a horse? She looks cool, doesn't she? Do you know who she is? Yes, she is Marie-Antoinette (1755~1793)!

At that time, riding astride was undoubtedly considered quite bold and rebellious. We all know that until the 20th century, it was widely believed that spreading her legs apart was very lewd and indecent for a lady, and riding astride was even thought by the medical community of the time to potentially damage the hymen and harm the female reproductive system. On the other hand, the cumbersome long skirts made agile riding nearly impossible, and fashion dictates at the time disapproved of breeches because they allowed women to "assume the poses and gestures of men".

Therefore, her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, begged her to give it up:

"Riding spoils the complexion, and in the end your waistline will suffer from it and begin to show more noticeably. Furthermore, if you are riding like a man, dressed as a man, as I suspect you are, I have to tell you that I find it dangerous as well as bad for bearing children -- and that is what you have been called upon to do; that will be the measure of your success."

Therefore, sadly, Marie-Antoinette stopped riding horses after becoming Queen of France.

The same happened with the famous Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi. Her carefree childhood fostered her love for horse riding, a habit considered vulgar and unacceptable by the Viennese court. Fortunately, unlike Marie-Antoinette, Sisi never gave up her passion for riding and sports. In various stories about Sisi, we can always find passages about horse riding. Perhaps, for her, persisting in horse riding symbolized the struggle for an independent and freely spirited personal life.

During the Regency Era in England, ladies were also expected to ride "gracefully and delicately" side-saddle. Riding side-saddle undoubtedly increased the risk of accidents and injuries during riding. Therefore, it was often necessary for women to be accompanied by at least one male when riding. However, in Jane Austen's novels, we often see young ladies riding alone for tours. For them, to ride alone symbolized a strong sense of independence, which was scorned by nineteenth-century British society. These "rules" were just one way women faced discrimination in the Regency Era.

Despite these stupid rules, our female ancestors never gave up their attempts to ride horses freely. Rather than conforming to society's expectations and norms, women riders set themselves apart from the dominant culture. In a letter from Hersilie to Mrs. Power O'Donoghue in 1880, she wrote:

"Oh, no woman would ever be twisted and packed onto a side saddle again if she could help it, after once enjoying the ease and freedom, as well as complete control of her horse that a man's seat gives... When shall we cease to prostrate ourselves before the Juggernaut of fashion?... It is a new existence on horseback, and nothing indelicate about it... leaping is, oh, so easy; in fact your power seems doubled in every way. In case of conflict with your horse, you feel a veritable centaur compared with the side seat... I think I could not be thrown."

As the reform movements progressed, women directly attacked these restrictive qualities of the riding habits. Reformists stated riding astride was healthier than side saddle. They claimed sidesaddle hurt a woman's spine because rather than being perfectly centered on the saddle, the woman's slanted body curved the spine. More and more women began to choose riding astride, influencing trousers to be worn frequently under the skirt, which shortened over time. These trousers, called jodhpurs, resembled the trousers of men. This type of riding wear, which women began wearing in the 1920s, allowed women to gain a certain amount of equality to men through fashion and sport. Women gained equality in the sport of horseback riding in 1951 when the Olympics allowed women to compete in the horseback riding events with men. Since 1952 women have competed with men in mixed events. The image of horsewoman symbolized every woman's effort to gain equality and liberty.

All in all, I wish you all to gallop towards the future with the same freedom and brilliance as a horsewoman!