Hobbyhorse Riding Is a Real Thing
You laughed at your college roommate when he called himself an athlete because he got into the Beirut team. Throwing a ping pong ball at a beer cup could never be a sport. If you thought this was ridiculous, brace yourself because Millenials have gone even further in inventing a new sport to play. And it’s absolutely genius!
Adorable Horse Heads on the Stick
Young people in Scandinavia have literally founded a real equine discipline of a children’s play. They call it the Hobbyhorse riding. Never heard of it? Maybe because you don’t really need a horse for this sport nor Cheltenham Racing Tips. All you need is a stuffed toy and a stick.
It all started recently in Finland where adolescents, mostly girls, discovered a new kind of fun. This, let’s call it a social game, can be described as a galloping competition on a toy — the stuffed pony children used to play with.
The head of a horse is made of fabrics, plastic, or decorative paper. The rest is a wooden stick that should represent a body. Riders hold the upper part of the stick with hands while the lower part is placed between their legs. Clearly, positioned like that, they are ready to gallop. Racing involves a lot of physical effort and leg work.
Every participant pays incredible attention to their hobby. In between the races, horses are resting covered with blankets, like real runners. Even the audience is generally passionate and loud.
These Girls Have The Real Championship
Just to prove how serious this thing is — girls are organizing real equine competitions like Hobbyhorse Championship. This competition nurtures the elegance and finesse of the world’s best known equine events. Competitors and their horses compete in dressage and show jumps to win the prizes, while judges are scoring the rider’s posture and movements.
Why Is It So Fabulous?
We can laugh as much as we want, as grown-ups really look silly on their imaginary horses. But if you find yourself near such people, you can feel special energy that can be liberating. And the more it becomes a global trend, the more answers we get about its existence.
• It is probably the only equine discipline in the world that does not imply the mistreatment of animals.
• Riding a hobbyhorse requires a lot of physical effort and fitness, so it can be seen as an excellent cardio training for riders.
• In times of digital pollution, it is rare to find a thing that brings together 16-year-olds and make them hang out.
• Crafted hobbyhorses are a big deal. In real life, every horse is unique, and making a horse on the stick is a breeze of creativity and kinda cool.
• It’s inspiring. An energetic sport that will give you a lot of positive energy and help you get rid of the bad emotions.
Hobbyhorse Revolution
The sport brings together more than 10,000 athletes in Scandinavia alone. Even an Oscar-nominated director Selma Vilhunen explored it in her documentary “Hobbyhorse Revolution.” She describes Hobbyhorse riding as empowering and fun, in a similar way as dancing.
Maybe the 14-years old rider Miriam gave the best description of this equine discipline — “Our life has its ups and downs. This is not the easiest time in my life,” she said, “But I gotta just jump over it.”