Why Finns are deadly serious about horse riding as a hobby

There was a buzz of excitement throughout the hushed arena as the rider grabbed the reins of her stuffed steed.

Welcome to the extremely demanding world of hobby riding, a Finnish sport that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Riders with immaculate hairstyles jump athletically over fences, just like jumping horses, riding as fast as they can against the clock, astride their stick-steeds.

In dressage, the situation is more formal, with riders trotting along on stick horses with elaborately decorated stuffed heads in front of astute judges.

About 260 competitors from 22 countries – most of them women and girls between the ages of 10 and 20 – took part in the 11th annual Finnish Championships held in the city of Seinajoki.

However, despite its enormous international reach, from the Arctic to Argentina, hobby horse riding is a sport that does not dare to speak its name.

– “Crazy” athleticism –

Despite its growing popularity, it is not officially recognized as a proper sport in its place of birth.

“We faced so much abuse and judgment,” 24-year-old cyclist Nara Arlin told AFP.

“We know what all hobby horsemen have gone through… I think that’s the main thing that unites us.”

First invented in Finland over a decade ago, hobby horse riding has spread like wildfire around the world.

“It grows every year,” said Julia Mikkonen, president of the Finnish Hobby Horse Association.

She added that this year’s championship was “the biggest we have organized so far.”

Aside from whim, it takes great strength and skill to jump over obstacles while holding a hobby horse. Some top athletes could give elite hurdlers or gymnasts a hard time.

“If you’re jumping over hurdles, your hip mobility has to be absolutely crazy,” said Mikkonen, 20, who has owned some fences up to 110 centimeters (3.6 feet) high.

– 10,000 enthusiasts –

“Of course we all dream of winning the world championship one day,” said Mikkonen, who estimates there are about 10,000 horse lovers around the world.

“I’m still out of breath, but I’m happy with my performance,” said 19-year-old Jojo Hanninen, sitting down after the dressage competition.

To succeed in sports, you have to tap into your inner centaur, she said.

“In hobby riding, my legs are the horse… I am both horse and human,” she said.

Hanninen’s hobby horse is a gray horse named Toope with shiny reins and pink ribbons decorating its white mane.

– Friendly community –

Competitors put a lot of effort into modeling and sewing the heads of horses, which are also exhibited and judged, as well as decorating them with ornaments.

“Hobby horses are an art,” said Arlin, who creates horses herself.

With the crowd’s cheers still ringing in her ears after her impressive showjumping, she called the sport “the best hobby of all time.”

“You do so many things with your hands and your brain and your whole body.”

Like many of her peers, Arlin picked up a hobby of playing as a child.

“But the older I got, the more serious it became,” said the rider, who trains by riding real horses, working out at the gym and pole dancing.

Rainbow flags in the arena reflected the tolerant values ​​at the heart of the community.

“Horses are mostly seen as a sport for girls, but that’s not true. Anyone can come, regardless of gender,” Mikkonen said.

Every enthusiast AFP spoke to praised the welcoming community that kept them committed to their riding hobby despite the disparaging attitudes they encountered at one point or another.

“We support each other,” Arlin said.

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