Say what now? Hobby horsing is a real thing and has its own championship

If your dreams of becoming an equestrian or jockey were dashed as a child, it's your time to shine. 

An interesting and not-so-new sport is taking over the world, and all you need to participate is a stick horse and zero "skaam cells". 

Videos of people performing at hobby horse (hobbyhorse) competitions, with what most of us would consider toy horses for children, have gone viral on social media.

The clips show them navigating obstacles like horses at a show jumping event. The only difference is that the horses aren't real, and the humans are doing all the jumping. 

Yes, you read right. Humans are riding stick horses as a competitive sport. But don't knock it before you try it because hobby horsing is the real deal. 

Hobby horsing became popular in 2017 after Finnish filmmaker Selma Vilhunen released the film called, 'Hobbyhorse Revolution'.  

The sport is so popular in Finland that it has its own championship. The Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships is considered the world's largest hobbyhorse event.

Most of the participants appear to be preteen and teenage girls aged between 12 and 18. There are also some young women participating. 

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Hobby Horse Videos 

Hobby horse videos are being viewed and shared like crazy on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The reactions are mixed, but there is no denying that hobby horsing is here to stay. 

"This is very disturbing to say the least," one Instagram user wrote. Another user commented: "What in the fake horse jumping craziness is this."

Someone call Gayton McKenzie because we need hobby horsing as a national sport right now! We think it looks like a fun sport, and at the very least, we need a little more laughter in our lives as a country.

And as an added bonus - it's budget-friendly. You don't need to fork out thousands of Rands on a real horse or apply for a small loan to take your horse to the vet! 

Some people have come to the hobby horse enthusiasts' defence. They feel that the girls and young women are just enjoying a sport that requires gymnastic-like moves and a lot of commitment. 

"Let’s face it: if this was a ”boy hobby” there would already be a junior league and nobody would laugh at them."

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Check out this video taken during the Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships in 2023, which Artemis Hobbyhorses shared on YouTube. 

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Main image credit: iStock/Nikolay Tsuguliev, Instagram/artemis_hobbyhorses