Hobbyhorse Racing Is Now A Thing, And It’s Not A Late April Fool’s Joke
A new activity is taking the world by storm – Hobbyhorse racing. Complete with names, breeds and backstories, participants compete in front of judges for championship titles.
Hobbyhorse racing is now a global competitive sport. Started in Finland, this activity is growing in popularity. We kid you not. What began as a crafting hobby for teenage girls has quickly spread to an activity boasting 10,000 participants and followers in Finland alone!
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The attractiveness of hobbyhorse competing could be attributed to many things. The cost factor is one bonus – no horse or paddock needed. Hobbyhorsing blends crafting, role play, and athleticism into one hobby making an instantly popular activity for teens.
credit: youtube/kht_tuiskutuuli
Hobbyhorse Racing Isn’t For Wimps
Oscar-nominated director Selma Vilhunen, has created a documentary on this new craze, titled Hobbyhorse Revolution. In the trailer (watch below), girls ranging from 10-19 years old practice jumping and prancing on their stick steeds. Once over the initial shock of this new hobbyhorse phenomenon, it’s easy to see the agility and skill that these girls have achieved. Jumping higher and higher, engaging in friendships and encouraging one another just to name a few.
Many parents are quickly supporting their children in this activity as a means to disconnect them from their cellphones and reconnect them with other children. This group has built a strong supportive community where they can be competitive and quirky at the same time.
As with most unusual hobbies a sub-culture has developed around hobbyhorse racing. Riders make their own hobbyhorses, giving them names and backstories. Some hobbyists go so far as to ‘feed’ them and cover them in blankets while they ‘sleep’. Serious competitors however are generally more focused on their next challenge jump and how to improve their competitive edge in the dressage category. These true competitors take themselves seriously and are working diligently to support each other and take their hobby to the next level. What an amazing story of creativity and courage!
