A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed.
Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds.
Photo: AFP
Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges.
About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 — turned up to compete at the 11th annual Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships in Seinajoki.
Despite its vast international reach, from the arctic to Argentina, hobby-horsing is a sport that dares not speak its name.
Photo: AFP
Despite its soaring popularity, it is not officially recognized as a proper sport in its birthplace.
“We have faced so much bullying and judgement,” rider Nara Arlin, 24, said. “We know what everyone in the hobby-horsing has been through... I think that is the main thing that pulls us together.”
First invented in Finland more than a decade ago, hobby-horsing has taken off at a gallop across the globe.
“It is growing every year,” said Julia Mikkonen, the chair of the Finnish Hobbyhorse Association.
This year’s championship was “the biggest we have had so far,” she said.
Beyond the whimsy, great strength and skill are required to jump the obstacles while holding the hobbyhorse.
Some top competitors could give elite hurdlers or gymnasts a run for their money.
“If you jump over obstacles your hip mobility has to be absolutely insane,” Mikkonen, 20, said.
Some fences are up to 110cm tall.
“Of course we are all dreaming of having a world championship one day,” said Mikkonen, who estimates there are about 10,000 hobby-horsers globally.
“I am still a bit breathless, but I am happy with my performance,” 19-year-old Jojo Hanninen said, as she sat down after her dressage event.
To succeed in the sport you have to channel your inner centaur, she said.
“In hobby-horsing, my legs are the horse... I am both horse and human,” she said.
Hanninen’s hobbyhorse is a gray called Toope, with glittery reins and pink ribbons adorning its white mane.
Competitors go to great lengths with their horses — which are also exhibited and judged — modeling and sewing the heads and adorning them with decorations.
“Hobbyhorses are art,” said Arlin, who makes her own.
With the cheers of the crowd still ringing in her ears after an impressive show jumping round, she hailed the sport as “the best hobby ever.”
“You are doing so many things with your hands, brain and the whole body,” she said.
Like many of her peers, Arlin found hobby-horsing through play as a child.
“But the older I became, it became more serious,” said the rider, who trains by riding real horses, working out in the gym and doing pole dancing.”
Rainbow flags in the arena reflected the tolerant values underpinning the community.
“Horses are mostly seen as a girls’ sport, but that is not correct. Anyone can come no matter what gender,” Mikkonen said.
Enthusiast praise the welcoming community that kept them devoted to hobby-horsing, despite the scornful attitudes they encountered at some point.
“We have each other’s backs,” Arlin said.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Aaron Civale got a little wild in the right-hander’s first start for the Chicago White Sox two days after he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Civale on Sunday walked four of the first seven hitters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old finished with four walks, one off his career high, while allowing six hits and two runs in five innings. He threw 65 strikes and 39 balls. Chicago trailed 2-1 when he was replaced by Dan Altavilla to start the sixth. “Not the cleanest,” Civale said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week. First couple
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
DOMINANT JUVENTUS: Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao both scored braces as Juventus made a statement in their opener with a big win over Al-Ain Phil Foden on Wednesday scored two minutes into the match and later had an assist to lead Premier League powerhouse Manchester City past Moroccan club Wydad AC 2-0 at the FIFA Club World Cup. City broke Wydad’s five-man defensive line early when Foden scored on a deflected cross by goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid. Jeremy Doku doubled City’s lead in the 42nd minute off a corner-kick from Foden. Shortly afterward, an animal-rights advocate ran onto the field to protest Morocco’s treatment of stray dogs and cats. The man was tackled by security workers and escorted out of Lincoln Financial Field, which was just over
RSS