Dr. Szabó Lajos: Nők a magyar sportban (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 3. Budapest, 2003)

TRADITIONAL SPORTS FOR WOMEN IN SOCIAL LIFE For centuries, the traditional sports that women pursued as an element of social life were hunting, especially falconry, horseback riding and dancing. Chronicles from the Middle Ages make several references to young ladies from noble families who had an „affection to practice falconry and horseback riding". As witnessed by several paintings and documents from that era, falconry was a common kind of hunting among women in Western Europe's royal and aristocrat families. The first Queen of Hungary, Maria, daughter of King Louis the Great was famous for her affection for horseback riding. Her passing at a young age was also caused by an accident that she suffered during horse riding. Hunting and field riding sessions became regular elements of social life and were usually accompanied by a series of balls where the dances changed as fashion dictated. At the end of the 19th century, physical education specialists pointed out the „sporty" nature of dancing. In his article published in the magazine Hercule, Károly Pásthy wrote that the combination of dance and gymnastic exercises is not only nice but has a lot of "physical advantages" for the individual (suppleness, resilience) which are desirable qualities for both men and women. In the late 19th century, the "women idol" in Hungary was undoubtedly Queen Elisabeth, wife of Emperor Franz Josef. We mentioned her before in relation to several other sports since she was well known for her flair and affection for sports and games. It was her horseback riding skills, however, that she was most acknowledged for. She often rode in the neighborhood of the Castle of Gödöllő, her favorite resort in Hungary, which put her in a role model status for other as well. By the 20th century, traditional upper class sports also included tennis, sailing and golf as dictated by fashion. Still all of these sports have retained their "exclusive" nature.