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?
According to Hobby-Horse.com, the sport 'originated in Finland around 2002' and promotes 'creativity, gymnastics, dedication, responsibility and love for animals'.
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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.
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…”
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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.
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.”
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.”
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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.
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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