 A hobby horse rider jumping | |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Sport, Hobby |
| Equipment | Hobby horse |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Originated in Finland |
Hobby horsing is a hobby with gymnastic elements which uses hobby horses, also known as stick horses. [1] [2] 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. [3] [4] [5]
The sport was introduced to a wider public through Selma Vilhunen's 2017 film Keppihevosten vallankumous (Hobbyhorse Revolution), [6] which won two awards at the 2017 Tampere Film Festival. [7]
In Finland, the country of origin of the sport, [8] an annual national championship is held in addition to regional competitions. This sport, which can be classified as a fun and trendy hobby, is particularly popular with girls and young women between the ages of 12 and 18 [5] years [9] and is gaining popularity beyond the other Nordic countries in other parts of Europe. The hobby had spread to Australia by 2016, [10] and the first Australian national championship was held in Queensland in 2024. [11]
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." [12] [13]
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". [5]
Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall is a British equestrian, Olympian and socialite. She is the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips, and the eldest niece of King Charles III. She was born sixth in the line of succession to the British throne during the reign of her maternal grandmother Elizabeth II, becoming 21st in line as of 2024.
Neckarstadion, officially known as MHPArena for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and home to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. It hosted football matches in the 1974 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro 1988, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and the UEFA Euro 2024. Besides that the 1959 European Cup Final, the replay of the 1962 European Cup Winners' Cup final, the 1988 European Cup Final, and the second leg of the 1989 UEFA Cup final took place in the stadium. The stadium is the only venue in Europe to have hosted multiple World Cup, European Championship and European Cup/Champions League Final matches. The stadium hosted the 1986 European Athletics Championships and the 1993 World Athletics Championships before it was redeveloped into a football-specific stadium in 2009.
The Super League is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season. As of March 2024, the Swiss Super League is ranked 12th in Europe according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions. The 2023–24 season will be the 127th season of the Swiss top-flight, making it the longest continuously running top-flight national league.
Dieter Hoeneß is a German former professional football player and executive. A forward during his playing career, Hoeneß was primarily associated with Bayern Munich. After retiring, he remained involved in football, working extensively in executive roles for several clubs. Hoeneß represented the West Germany national football team at the 1986 World Cup.
Daniel Schwaab is a German former professional footballer who played for SC Freiburg, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart and PSV Eindhoven, mainly as a centre-back. He represented Germany at U18, U19, and U21 levels, winning the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Georg Niedermeier is a German footballer who currently plays as a defender for New Zealand Taranaki Premiership club New Plymouth Rangers. He came through the Bayern Munich's youth academy before joining VfB Stuttgart on loan in January 2009 and officially signing for them in February 2010 for €4 million.
Malik Ata Muhammad Khan, popularly known as Prince Malik Ata was a Pakistani feudal lord and politician. He was the chief of Kot Fateh Khan in Attock District of North Western Punjab, Pakistan. He was also a member of the Punjab Assembly between 1990 and 1993.
A hobby horse is a child's toy horse. Children played at riding a wooden hobby horse made of a straight stick with a small horse's head, and perhaps reins, attached to one end. The bottom end of the stick sometimes had a small wheel or wheels attached. This toy was also sometimes known as a cock horse or stick horse.
Charlotte Susan Jane Dujardin is a British dressage rider, equestrian, and writer. A multiple World and Olympic champion, Dujardin has been described as the dominant dressage rider of her era. She held the complete set of available individual elite dressage titles at one point: the individual Olympic freestyle, World freestyle and Grand Prix Special, World Cup individual dressage and European freestyle, and Grand Prix Special titles. Dujardin was the first rider to hold this complete set of titles at the same time.
Nicola Wilson is a British equestrian rider specialising in three-day eventing. Riding Opposition Buzz, she won a team gold at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games and team silver at the 2012 Olympic Games. She is also a seven-time medallist at the European Championships, including team golds in 2009, 2017 and 2021 and individual gold and bronze in 2021 and 2017, respectively.
Kenki Sato (佐藤 賢希, Satō Kenki; born 11 July 1984 in Ogawa, Nagano prefecture, Japan is a Japanese equestrian. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Individual eventing and reached 12th place.
Richard Davison is an Olympic standard dressage rider.
Jessica Rae Springsteen is an American equestrian. The daughter of musicians Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, she is a show jumping champion rider who has represented the United States Equestrian Team in international competition and won a silver medal in the Team jumping at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in 2021 in Tokyo.
Selma Vilhunen is a Finnish film maker.
Petrissa Solja is a retired German table tennis player. Solja won silver in the team event in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She reached her highest world ranking of thirteenth in March 2016.
Little Wing is a 2016 Finnish-Danish drama film directed by Selma Vilhunen. It was screened in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. It won the 2017 Nordic Council Film Prize.
Atakan Karazor is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and captains Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart.
Constantin Frommann is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He has represented Germany at the under 16, under U17, under U18 and the under 20 level.
Viola Brand is a German cyclist specialising in artistic cycling. She has won national and European championships twice each, and the silver medal three times in the World Championships.
Suzanna Hext is a British Paralympic swimmer and equestrian, who won three gold medals in dressage at the 2017 FEI European Championships, and two medals at both the 2019 and 2023 World Para Swimming Championships. She finished fourth in two S5 swimming events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)