Germany Holds First Hobby Horsing Championship
Germany's first hobby horsing championship began in Frankfurt on September 14, with hundreds of young riders competing in a variety of events on their wooden stick horses.
Roughly 300 riders — mostly youngsters, but also about 20 adults — took part in the two-day championship, watched by 1,500 spectators. The competition is part of a growing wave of hobby horsing events. The United States and Australia also held their first championships this year.
Hobby horsing is the sport of riding a hobby horse — a straight stick with a small horse's head — which became popular with girls and young women in Finland more than 20 years ago. The sport exploded in popularity on social media during the coronavirus pandemic, and has been credited with highlighting female empowerment for the participants.
Competitors take part in a variety of events, including dressage and style jumping.
"In fact, it really is a strenuous sport. It's a mixture of athletics and gymnastics, and you need to be in good shape for it," said Andreas Karasek of the German Hobby Horsing Association. The association was established a year ago with just 13 members, but there are now more than 5,000 hobby horsers in Germany and over 200 clubs.
Kay Schumann, president of the German Hobby Horsing Association, said children and young riders brought hobby horsing to Germany through social media. They exchanged videos and images, and built a community.
"It spread like wildfire," he added.
Hobby horser Britta Skott, who has been practicing for three years, says the sport is "incredibly fun" and enables people to "live out their passion for horses without having to sit on real horses."
While organizers want to promote empowerment and acceptance through a positive and inclusive experience for competitors, there are critics who say it is not a sport.
Julia Mikkonen, head of the Finnish Hobbyhorse Association, counters that just like in other sports, hobby horse riders need athleticism, strength and stamina to succeed.
