bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed.
Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds.
Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges.


Some 260 riders from 22 countries – mostly women and girls aged between 10 and 20 – turned up to compete at the 11th annual Finnish championship held in the town of Seinajoki.
But despite its vast international reach, from the Arctic to Argentina, hobby horsing is a sport that dares not speak its name.
Despite its soaring popularity, it is not officially recognised as a proper sport in its birthplace.
“We have faced so much bullying and judgment,” rider Nara Arlin, 24, says.
“We know what everyone in the hobby horsing [world] has been through … I think that is the main thing that pulls us together.”

Invented in Finland more than a decade ago, hobby horsing has taken off at a gallop across the globe.
“It is growing every year,” says Julia Mikkonen, the chair of The Finnish Hobbyhorse Association.
This year’s championship was “the biggest we have had so far”, she adds.
Beyond the whimsy, great strength and skill is required to jump the obstacles while holding the hobby horse. Some top competitors could give elite hurdlers or gymnasts a run for their money.
“If you jump over obstacles, your hip mobility has to be absolutely insane,” says Mikkonen, 20, with some fences up to 110cm (3.6 feet) tall.
She estimates there are around 10,000 hobby horsers globally. “Of course we are all dreaming of having a world championship one day.”

Jojo Hanninen, 19, sits down after her dressage event. “I am still a bit breathless but I am happy with my performance,” she says.
To succeed in the sport you have to channel your inner centaur, she says.
“In hobby horsing, my legs are the horse … I am both horse and human,” she says.
Hanninen’s hobby horse is a grey called Toope, with glittery reins and pink ribbons adorning its white mane.
Competitors go to great lengths with their horses – which are also exhibited and judged – modelling and sewing the heads and adorning them with decorations.
“Hobby horses are art,” says Arlin, who makes her own.

With the cheers of the crowd still ringing in her ears after an impressive show-jumping round, she hailed the sport as “the best hobby ever”.
“You are doing so many things with your hands, brain and the whole body.”
Like many of her peers, Arlin found hobby horsing through play as a child.
“But the older I became, it became more serious,” says the rider, who trains by riding real horses, working out in the gym and doing pole dancing.
Rainbow flags in the arena reflected the tolerant values underpinning the community.
“Horses are mostly seen as a girls’ sport, but that is not correct. Anyone can come no matter what gender,” Mikkonen says.

Every enthusiast spoken to praised the welcoming community that kept them devoted to hobby horsing despite the scornful attitudes all encountered at some point.
“We have each other’s backs,” Arlin says.


Frenchman who sleeps with alligator in his bed looks to open refuge for his exotic pets

Ukraine urges gamers not to enter Chernobyl exclusion zone as Stalker 2 released

‘Bear’ that attacked luxury cars in US$142,000 insurance case was human in costume

Woman tried to sell unborn baby on Facebook for ‘minimum of US$150’, Texas police say

Offbeat

How hobby horsing is galloping ahead as a sport with show jumping and dressage competitions

A participant competes in the dressage category of the 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships. Photo: AFP

A participant competes in the dressage category of the 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships at the local sports arena in Seinajoki, Finland on June 15, 2024. The annual event, which also involves show jumping, is the world’s largest competition for the fledgling sport. Photo: AFP

A participant competes in the show-jumping category of the 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships. Photo: AFP

Participants with hobby horses attend the 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships. Photo: AFP

How to age well? We ask Singaporean photographer Chuando Tan, 58, who looks half his age

Lots of water, lots of protein, exercise, a positive attitude and a little sunshine: these are the secrets to looking young as you age, says Singaporean photographer and influencer Chuando Tan, 58. Photo: instagram.com/chuando_chuandoandfrey


Tan posted this photo of himself from 1989, aged 23. Photo: instagram.com/chuando_chuandoandfrey

Tan, having a mug of tea with ice cream, enjoys this dessert once in a while. Photo: instagram.com/ chuando_chuandoandfrey

Tan celebrated his 58th birthday in March. Having a positive outlook on life is a key to his age-defying looks, he says. Photo: facebook.com/chuando.official

Tan recommends spending enough time in the sun to allow vitamin D synthesis, but warns that too much sun exposure can accelerate the ageing process. Photo: instagram.com/chuando_chuandoandfrey

How to live longer? Get up and just move – any kind of exercise does our body and mind good, studies and experts say

Moving does a body and mind good but, since the pandemic, people are moving less than ever. The answer? “Just get off the couch,” says an expert. Photo: Shutterstock

Herodicus, physician of the fifth century BC, is considered the father of sports medicine.

A hula-hooping demonstration from a local netball team in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London in 1958. Staying active benefits health in multiple ways. Photo: Getty Images

Tennis players working out at Tattersall’s Club in Sydney, Australia in 1972. By the 1970s, the American Heart Association was beginning to promote increased physical activity for better cardiovascular health. Photo: Getty Images

A promotional shot from Jane Fonda’s Workout – Low Impact Aerobic from 1988. Photo: Warner Brothers

5 places to learn martial arts such as judo, kung fu, MMA, taekwondo and BJJ in Hong Kong

Bruce Lee in a still from Enter the Dragon. This and other Hong Kong films made Lee’s brand of kung fu globally popular, but it is just one among many forms of martial arts. Classes in many different martial arts are available at studios in Hong Kong. Photo: Golden Harvest

At PCMA Kung Fu Hong Kong, students practise a form in wing chun. Photo: PCMA Kung Fu Hong Kong

Cheung Do Kwan Taekwondo has programmes for students as young as three. Photo: Cheung Do Kwan Taekwondo

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

The 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships saw 260 people from 22 countries take part, but riders say they have faced bullying and judgment


The 2024 Finnish Hobbyhorse Championships saw some 260 people from 22 countries take part in show jumping and dressage competitions, but riders say they have faced a difficult track on the way.


5050

Health & Fitness

Finland