From time immemorial, war has been brewing between the equestrian tribes – the cowgirls and the horsegirls. Though seemingly kindred groups, they veil a deep distrust and animosity for each other. Battle lines have been drawn and troops are at the ready, but perhaps through careful analysis we might discover their common ground (or pasture, so to speak) and avoid great bloodshed. So, what is a cowgirl, and what is a horsegirl, and by answering these questions, might we at last bring peace to this land?
I’ve done some “serious” research into each of these definitions over the past week, and my findings are thus. According to Clara Pahl, Northwestern’s chief cowgirl, cowgirls are distinguished for their toughness. Yes, horses are part of the lifestyle, but likewise are early mornings, scooping poop and forking hay. The cowgirl respects the power, intelligence and majesty of horses, but does not share the idealized picture of the animals found in the media. According to Pahl, it’s far from glamorous work. “It’s brutal, especially when the horses die, and it affects you.” Therefore, the true cowgirl might have more in common with the farmgirl than the horsegirl, and in more than just the commitment to hard work. For cowgirl and farmgirl alike, theirs is a way of life, not an aesthetic – a livelihood, not a hobby. For this reason, the cowgirl’s contempt for the horsegirl derives from the horsegirl’s romanticism, which lacks respect for the truly rugged nature of the cowgirl’s challenging work.
So, what, then, is a horsegirl? According to Naomi Lief, NW’s premier horsegirl, it’s a person who really loves horses and wants to own, ride or sometimes be a horse. They typically have less experience riding and little to no experience of other elements of care. They may have grown up around the animals, but their infatuation comes from the mystique, rather than the reality, of the animals. However, according to Lief, this idealized picture of horses, which defines the horsegirl, is also an evocative cultural symbol for feminine independence and freedom. Horsegirls tend to engage with more horse-related media and have more related memorabilia (horse/unicorn dolls/action-figures, My Little Pony, Barbie Magic Pegasus, etc.), and in much of this media, the horse as a symbol of feminine freedom – a woman sat side-saddle on a horse galloping into the setting sun – is prominent.
So, what have we learned? Of substance, nothing, but about these goofy subcultures, quite a lot! To oversimplify, we might connote cowgirls to farmgirls as they share a demystified appreciation of horses and commitment to the ruddy, grimy lifestyle. On the flipside, the horsegirl fixates upon the feminine independence and freedom the romantic picture of the horse symbolizes. Cowgirls tend to be a more defensive in-group, excluding horsegirls for fear of them watering down the image and respect of their trade, whereas the horsegirl’s desire to join the in-group is connected to the shared social imaginary of feminine freedom that the horse represents.
However, at the very bottom of it, these groups share much in common. For both, horses connote independence, strength and freedom. The cowgirl ideal is the physical difficulty of their work, whereas the horsegirl ideal is the symbolic strength of the horse. And yet, for both, it is the essence of freedom, strength and independence which makes horses both alluring and inspiring.
