Noemi Steuerwald on Equestrian Sport as a Symbol of Power & Exclusion in the Victorian Era

Sport in History

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24d ago 42:20

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Today, leisure is often seen as a universal right – accessible to all, regardless of background. Yet historically, access to leisure and sport was highly regulated and deeply unequal. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, who had leisure time, what kind of sport they could pursue, and where and how they could do so, was determined by intersecting factors of gender, race, and especially class. This talk examines the cultural and social functions of leisure through the lens of equestrian sport. Focusing on the Victorian era, it argues that horseback riding was far more than a recreational pastime; it was a highly coded system of social communication. Practices such as dress, posture, and riding instructions served to reinforce existing social hierarchies and embodied norms. Drawing on examples from equestrian culture, the talk explores how race, class, and gender shaped not only access to leisure but also its meaning. By shedding light on these historical dynamics, the lecture invites reflection on contemporary debates around accessibility and inclusion in sport and leisure today – reminding us that leisure has never been neutral, and still carries the weight of social structures.

Noemi Steuerwald is a historian based at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Her doctoral research explores the cultural and gender history of equestrian sport, with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. She is particularly interested in how practices of horseback riding reflect and shape historical dynamics of body, race, class, and gender.

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