1906: Side-Saddle Aside
November 25, 2019
By AHNZ
On November 30, 1906, the Young Ladies’ Riding Competition at the Greymouth Show was won by Miss Bella Cochrane. This picture from Farmer magazine probably comes from that occasion. The caption reads, “….Miss Cochrane, winner of the young ladies’ riding competition.” However, it may be that she won again on a later occasion¹.
Revisiting the old photo (at a time unknown) the magazine rightly points out that this is no ordinary picture. Cochrane is doing something slightly revolutionary for a woman of the time by not riding in a side-saddle. It’s an advancement in the equality of the sexes, or a retreat in sexual dimorphism, depending how you look at it!
Isabella Cochrane of Reefton moved to Greymouth in 1907. They were a very sporty family. Bella married Percy Smith in 1916. Her father, William, had purchased a livery business in Boundary St, Greymouth, in 1907, so would have had all the latest stuff. It makes sense that Bella would be showcasing it. Apart from helping her father’s trade I can imagine Bella working hard and pleading to get what I assume is a specialised saddle for a woman.
The idea of side-saddle was supposed to make a woman more safe because dismounting would be very easy. It also created another product range of saddles the consumer felt it needed which the livery business would be glad to encourage. The major reason, though, was that side-saddles were compatible with the way a woman would traditionally dress. A conventional saddle works for those wearing trousers but is prohibitive of anyone wearing a dress.
This photo represents an important time and debate (because it was not without controversy) during a turning from Dignity Culture to Victimhood Culture in New Zealand.
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1 Or an earlier occasion. The competition was for under 17s and Bella reached that age in 1904/5; Ref. Isabella Lamberton Cochrane, BDM
Image ref. Farmer magazine; Mary Moffitt; West Coast South Island history; Facebook
Ref. Ref. Grey River Argus; Papers Past
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