What is hobbyhorsing, or Why do people jump on sticks

As a child, many dreamed of saddling a dashing steed and racing it headlong. Some adults also dream about it. But horse riding is an expensive and difficult occupation, so few can afford to seriously engage in it. But hobbyhorsing — horse racing on a stick with a horse's head is available even to kids. This sport is becoming more popular every day, although some do not understand its meaning at all.

Most people think that hobbyhorsing is a completely new sport, which is only a few years old. But in fact, such jumps are mentioned in a book of the 19th century. It describes a strange ritual that has been performed for centuries on May 1 by fishermen from the British town of Minehead, in Somersetshire. But such jumps were not taken seriously for a long time and were considered an oddity.

The Finnish girl Alice Aornimaki made hobbyhorsing an international sport. She really wanted to ride, but her family couldn't afford it. In 2010, Alice became interested in horse racing on a stick with a horse's head. She created communities in social networks through which she was looking for like-minded people. There were a lot of them. A couple of years later, a whole subculture of hobbyist lovers appeared in Finland. Most of the fans of this activity were children and teenagers.

By 2015, it became clear that everything was very serious and Alice created the rules of a new sport. And in 2017, a film by Finnish director Selma Vilhunen "The Hobbyhorsing Revolution" was released. After that, toy horse racing was learned outside Finland, and this sport began to develop in other countries.

Today, up to 20 thousand people are engaged in hobbyhorsing only in Finland. They are mostly girls and girls from 10 to 18 years old. But there are no restrictions on height, weight and age in this sport, so you can meet ladies of a solid age at performances. Hobbyhorsing associations exist in the UK, Australia, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, USA and Of Russia.

A hobbyhorsing horse should be no more than 50 cm long and weigh less than a kilogram. Every hobbyhorse has a name, like a real racehorse. From the outside, the competitions look like frivolous children's fun. But do not rush to conclusions — it is not easy to jump like this, because you need to strictly follow the rules.

Of great importance are the correct movements of the legs with the socks stretched out. The horse is held with a special grip so that it does not slip out of your hands. Even simple gaits are given to beginners with great difficulty, but in hobbyhorsing, not only technique is taken into account, but also the speed of passing the distance.

Hobbyhorse must be kept between the legs. The participant who missed the horse is immediately disqualified. It is necessary to overcome barriers, which according to the rules should not be less than five. Experienced athletes overcome obstacles up to 150 cm high with their hobbyhorses!

The phenomenon of the popularity of hobbyhorsing lies in its accessibility. Anyone can make or order a stick horse, and the first successes can really be shown already at 3-4 training sessions. If you ask athletes why they chose these particular races, you can hear a variety of answers. Most often they say that it is very fun and interesting.

Is there any benefit from hobbyhorsing? Scientific research has not been conducted, but fans of this sport are sure that there is. They believe that it has a therapeutic effect and helps to maintain mental balance. Also, horse racing on stick horses develops correct posture, trains the abs, muscles of the arms and legs and has a restorative effect.

If you think that hobbyhorsing is the strangest sport, then you need to get acquainted with underwater hockey or racing in toilet stalls.