There’s a new sport on the block and it’s gaining some major flack on the internet, but one competitor want’s you to know that it’s more than just a hobby: it’s extremely taxing.
You may - or may not - have heard about ‘hobbyhorsing’, a sport which sees entrees competing with toy horses to conduct some pretty cool dressage routines.
Who said you need a horse to actually be a horse girl?
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According to Hobby-Horse.com, the sport 'originated in Finland around 2002' and promotes 'creativity, gymnastics, dedication, responsibility and love for animals'.
However, while it might sound 'easy' to run around holding a stick horse, one hobby horse competitor says that it’s not all fun and games out on the court.
In the 40 second clip posted to TikTok; the rider, named Anna, can be seen lying on the ground after competing her tournament.
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The 16-year-old captioned the video: “This is me after my dressage routine… I was passing out, couldn't breathe, almost throwing up, dizzy, shaking, whole body burning in pain…”
As many believed that hobby horsing is easy to do, she wanted to showcase just how physically challenging it really was.
She wrote: “’Hobbyhorsing is not a sport, it's easy and everyone can do that’ . . . Oh yeah?"
“Yeah, it looks easy, but this is reality.” Anna also added in the video's description.
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However, this seemingly didn't deter those in the comments.
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One person wrote: “i found out what “hobby horsing dressage” is and i couldn’t even laugh.”
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Another said: “I burst into tears laughing when I found out what hobby horsing dressage is. I used to be a pro at this when I was 3.”
A third wrote: “I think this says more about your stamina than it does about a hobby horsing.”
Another said: “Hobby horsing is NOT easy. It takes years of dedication to believe it is a real sport.”
While someone else said that finding out about the hobby had 'really ruined' their day, to which Anna responded: "Good."
Hobby horsing has recently risen in popularity over the years.
Finland has more than 10,000 hobby-horse riders, but it’s also gaining popularity in countries like Switzerland, Germany and Sweden, as per The Daily Mail.
Fred Sundwall, the secretary general of the Equestrian Federation of Finland said in a 2017 interview: “We think it's simply wonderful that hobby-horsing has become a phenomenon and so popular.
“It gives a chance to those children and teens who don't own horses to interact with them also outside stables and riding schools.”
Britt Jones