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Hobby horsing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Hobby horse polo.
Hobby horsing
A hobby horse rider jumping
Characteristics
Mixed-sexYes
TypeHobby/sport
EquipmentHobby horse
Presence
Country or regionOriginated in Finland

Hobby horsing is a sport[1][2][3] with gymnastic elements which uses hobby horses, also known as stick horses.[4][5] Movement sequences similar to those in show jumping or dressage are partly simulated in courses, without real horses being used. The participants predominantly use self-made hobby horses.[6][7][8]

Origin and popularization

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The sport was introduced to a wider public through Selma Vilhunen's 2017 film Keppihevosten vallankumous (Hobbyhorse Revolution),[9] which won two awards at the 2017 Tampere Film Festival.[10]

In Finland, the country of origin of the sport,[11] an annual national championship is held in addition to regional competitions. This sport, which can be classified as a fun, active and trendy hobby, is particularly popular with girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 18[8] years[12] and is gaining popularity beyond the other Nordic countries in other parts of Europe. The hobby had spread to Australia by 2016,[13] and the first Australian national championship was held in Queensland in 2024.[14] The european championships of hobbyhorsing will be hosted for the first time ever in 2026 in the czech republic. It will be hosted by the IHHF (international hobbyhorse federation)

Reception

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stick horse stable

While the sport may be perceived more as a childish pastime by "real riders," Fred Sundwall, secretary general of the Finnish Equestrian Federation, views it positively: "We think it's just wonderful that hobby horsing has become a phenomenon and so popular." "It gives kids and teenagers who don't have horses a chance to interact with them outside of stables and riding schools."[15][16]

A 2022 article in the British equestrian magazine Horse & Hound said that in the UK hobbyhorsing takes place occasionally as a novelty charity fundraising or Pony Club event but that "hobbyhorse competitions are probably more likely to be seen as a bit of fun at a school sports day than as a serious competition".[8]

References

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  1. ^ Dazio, Stefanie; Niemann, Daniel (September 14, 2024). "Germany's first hobby horsing championship gallops through Frankfurt". AP News.
  2. ^ Goldmann, Björn (14 March 2025). "Kurios! Essener Handballer ist Deutscher Vizemeister im Hobby Horsing" [Curious! Essen handball player is German runner-up in hobby horsing]. www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  3. ^ Hornby, Kit (October 17, 2024). "POLL — Hobby horsing: A real sport or just horseplay?". CBC. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  4. ^ "Definition of HOBBYHORSE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  5. ^ "hobbyhorse – LEO: Übersetzung im Englisch ⇔ Deutsch Wörterbuch". dict.leo.org. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  6. ^ Barton, Laura (30 April 2019). "Hobbyhorsing: what girls everywhere can learn from the Finnish craze". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Hobby-horsing is a popular sport in Finland. 'It's very bizarre for other people to see'". National Post. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Terry, Martha (17 June 2022). "Want to compete, but struggling with horse power? Check out the hobbyhorse championships". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Hobbyhorse Revolution – Films". Visions du Réel. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. ^ Pham, Annika (30 March 2017). "Hobbyhorse Revolution reaches Finnish and world audiences". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  11. ^ Haug, Kitty (10 May 2021). "Hobby Horsing – der neue Trendsport mit Steckenpferd". www.abendblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Aktuelle Nachrichten aus Osnabrück, Melle, Lingen, Papenburg und Umgebung – NOZ | NOZ". noz.de (in German). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  13. ^ "How it all started". Hobby Horse Riders. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  14. ^ Levy, Arianna (5 July 2024) "Queensland holds Australia's first championship for hobby horsing as TikTok spurs on membership", ABC New. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Hobby Horsing – dieser schräge Trend kommt aus Finnland" [Hobby Horsing – this weird trend comes from Finland]. Stuttgarter Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  16. ^ ""Hobby Horsing" ist der wohl verrückteste Sport der Welt". bigFM (in German). 6 April 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
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