You’ve probably seen the clips. A teenager gallops across a gymnasium, clutching a wooden stick topped with a plush horse head, then leaps over a waist-high hurdle with the grace of an Olympic hurdler. Maybe you laughed. A lot of people do. But then you look at the height of that bar. You notice the sweat. You see the technical footwork that mimics a real horse's gait—the canter, the gallop, the dressage sidestep. Suddenly, the question of is hobby horse a sport stops being a joke and starts being a legitimate debate about what "athleticism" actually means in the 2020s.
It's massive. Seriously.
In Finland, where the modern iteration of this movement exploded, over 10,000 people are actively involved. The Finnish Hobby Horse Championships pull in massive crowds and international media coverage. It isn’t just kids playing in a backyard anymore. It’s a subculture with its own hierarchy, specialized gear, and rigorous training schedules.
The Physical Reality of the Hobby Horse "Athlete"
Let’s be real for a second. If you try to run a 50-meter sprint while mimicking the four-beat gait of a horse and jumping over obstacles, your quads are going to scream. Most people underestimate the sheer physical output required here. This is high-intensity interval training (HIIT) disguised as a childhood throwback.
Is hobby horse a sport? If we define a sport by physical exertion and competitive structure, it’s hard to say no.
Take Alisa Aarniomäki, one of the pioneers of the Finnish scene. She and her peers didn't just wake up one day and decide to run with sticks; they spent years refining the "physics" of the movement. You have to keep your upper body remarkably still—just like a rider—while your legs do all the explosive work. It’s a core-strength nightmare. If you watch the competitive jumping rounds, these athletes are clearing bars set at 1.2 meters (nearly 4 feet). Try doing that while holding a stick between your legs and maintaining a specific rhythm. It’s objectively difficult.
The "horse" itself is often handmade, sometimes weighing several kilograms. Carrying that weight while maintaining high-speed coordination adds a layer of resistance that most casual observers miss. It's basically weighted plyometrics.
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Competitive Infrastructure: It’s Not Just "Playing"
Structure is what separates a hobby from a sport. In the hobby horse world, the structure is surprisingly rigid. You have two main disciplines: Show Jumping and Dressage.
In Show Jumping, it’s all about the clock and the rails. Knock a bar down, and you lose points. Go too slow, and you’re out. The courses are laid out with the same logic as real equestrian events, requiring sharp turns and "striding" calculations.
Dressage is even more intense in its own weird way. It’s about aesthetics and control. Judges look for the "horse's" carriage, the "rider’s" posture, and the precision of movements like the piaffe or the passage. You’ll see competitors practicing for hours to get their toes pointed exactly right. It’s more akin to gymnastics or figure skating than traditional field sports.
There are regional qualifiers. There are national rankings. There are even "stables"—communities where people train together and share tips on everything from sewing better manes to improving vertical jump height. When you have a governing body like the Finnish Hobby Horse Association (Suomen Keppihevosyhdistys ry), the "is it a sport" argument starts to lean heavily toward "yes."
The Psychology of the Stick Horse
Why do people do this? Why not just join a track team or buy a real horse?
Economics plays a huge role. Real horses are incredibly expensive. We’re talking thousands of dollars a month for boarding, feed, and vet bills. Hobby horsing democratizes the equestrian world. It gives kids—and increasingly adults—the community and competitive thrill of horse shows without needing a trust fund.
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But there’s also a deep sense of irony-free empowerment here. Many participants describe the hobby as a "safe space." It’s a community largely driven by young women and girls who have built an entire ecosystem from scratch, often in the face of intense online bullying. There’s a certain grit required to go out in public and do something people think is "cringe" just because you love the athletic challenge of it.
A Quick Comparison of "Sport" Definitions
- Physical Activity: High. Hobby horse requires explosive leg power and core stability.
- Rules and Regulations: High. Competition handbooks are dozens of pages long.
- Institutional Organization: Moderate but growing. National championships are now held in multiple countries.
- Public Recognition: Low but surging. The International Olympic Committee isn't calling yet, but Red Bull has already covered it.
The Cultural Pushback and the "Cringe" Factor
We have to talk about the elephant in the room: the internet loves to make fun of this.
Because it looks like a toy, the immediate reaction from the "traditional" sports world is often dismissal. People say it's just "playing pretend." But then again, what is football? It’s grown men chasing a pigskin bladder across grass. What is golf? Hitting a tiny pebble with a metal stick into a hole. Every sport looks a little bit silly when you strip away the billion-dollar broadcasting contracts and the cultural nostalgia.
The question of is hobby horse a sport often reveals more about the person asking it than the activity itself. If your definition of sport requires a "ball" or "massive corporate sponsors," then no, it isn't one yet. But if a sport is a physical competition governed by a set of rules where athletes train to improve their performance, it’s getting harder to exclude hobby horsing.
Looking Forward: The Future of the Movement
It’s spreading. What started in the Nordic countries has landed in Germany, the UK, and the United States.
We’re starting to see "hobby horse camps" and specialized retailers selling high-end "performance" horses. These aren't the $10 toys from a big-box store. They are custom-crafted pieces of equipment that can cost hundreds of dollars, designed for optimal balance during a jump.
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Social media is the engine. TikTok and Instagram have allowed the community to share training "hacks" and host virtual competitions. This digital connectivity has turned a niche Finnish pastime into a global subculture. It’s a "sport" for the digital age—born in the real world, fueled by the internet, and built by a generation that doesn't care about traditional gatekeeping.
How to Get Involved (If You’re Brave Enough)
If you’re still skeptical, the best way to answer "is hobby horse a sport" for yourself is to try it. Seriously. Put a timer on and try to "canter" for three minutes straight while maintaining a straight back. You’ll be gassed.
For those looking to actually dive in, here is the basic roadmap:
- Find your "mount." You can make your own with a sock and some stuffing, or look for creators on Etsy and Instagram who specialize in realistic designs.
- Master the footwork. Don't just run. Learn the difference between a walk, a trot, and a canter. Your feet are the horse’s hooves. They should move in specific patterns.
- Build a jump. Start low. Use PVC pipes or even cardboard boxes. Focus on your "take-off" and "landing" form.
- Connect. Look for local groups. If there aren't any, start a "stable" with friends. The social aspect is arguably more important than the jumping.
Hobby horsing might look unconventional, but its heart is pure athleticism. It’s about pushing your body, mastering a craft, and finding a community. Whether the rest of the world calls it a "sport" or a "hobby" doesn't really matter to the people clearing four-foot hurdles on a Saturday morning. They’re too busy training to care.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit the Intensity: If you’re a coach or fitness enthusiast, look at hobby horse footage through the lens of plyometric training. The "scissors" jump technique used by top competitors is a high-level athletic move.
- Join the Community: Search for "Hobby Horsing" on Instagram or TikTok to see the current world records for high jump. The heights being cleared are genuinely shocking.
- Start Small: If you’re curious about the fitness benefits, incorporate "hobby horse" intervals (mimicking horse gaits) into your next cardio session to see how it affects your heart rate and coordination.