Keeneland Library will host Arthur B. Hancock III in discussion of her January 2025 release Astride: Horses, Women, and a Partnership That Shaped America.

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 hobby horses, and women who worked as horsebreakers, cattle rustlers, or jockeys. 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.

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

Following the presentation, enjoy a book signing and reception with Eliza McGraw.

A portion of the proceeds benefit the Keeneland Library Foundation which supports the Library’s preservation, education, and outreach projects.