POLL Hobby horsing: A real sport or just horseplay?

It’s a lot more than just horsing around

⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️

• Hobby horsing is a sport where people perform tricks on toy horses.
• Thanks to social media, it has become popular around the world.
• While it may seem funny to some, kids who do it say it’s great.  
• Would you try it? Read more then vote in our poll! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

You may be tempted to call it horseplay, but there’s a lot more to the sport of hobby horsing than you might realize.

On Sept. 14 and 15, Germany held its first ever hobby horsing championship in the city of Frankfurt.

The event, which was organized by the German Hobby Horsing Association, had around 300 participants, mostly youth, and about 1,500 fans who came to watch.

Hobby horsing is a sport where participants perform tricks and routines while riding a type of toy called a hobby horse.

How the sport works

Hobby horses are made up of a toy horse’s head mounted on a long stick. 

The idea is that you put the stick between your legs and pretend you are riding the horse. 

You might have even had one growing up.

So, what do you do at a hobby horse championship?

If you watched the Olympics this summer, you might have seen some of the equestrian sports that involve horses.

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Equestrian sports include jumping, racing and dressage, where a rider demonstrates the control they have over their horse by having them perform precise movements.

Hobby horse competitors participate in a lot of the same events — just without using a real horse.

Fans say it’s harder than it looks 

As the sport has become more popular, especially on social media, those who compete have faced some backlash.

Andreas Karasek, the spokesperson for the German Hobby Horsing Association, said hobby horsing looks a little funny at first, but it’s a lot harder than people realize.

“It’s a mixture of athletics and gymnastics, and you need to be in good shape for it,” he told The Associated Press.

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The benefits aren’t just athletic, though. 

Max Gohde, a 15-year-old competitor at the German event, said that hobby horsing gives them self-confidence. 

They said that they enjoy doing it with other people and that the supportive atmosphere at these events is “really cool.”

Hobby horsing originated in Finland, but it has become popular around the world through its rise on social media.

The U.K. and Russia both held hobby horsing events earlier this year. 

There are even some Canadian hobby horsing clubs!

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With files from The Associated Press, Reuters