The Czech Republic was flooded with extraordinary entertainment. Riding on a horse’s head

In the last few years, a new sport is becoming known to the general public. It’s called hobby horsing and it combines equestrian sports with athletics and theatrical elements. The most important accessory is the plush horse head. The trainings also take place regularly in Prague, and our editors were interested in, among other things, how they are going.

Hobby horsing combines gymnastic elements, equestrian sport and imagination. It was created in Finland more than twenty years ago. However, it gradually came to the Czech Republic only in the past four years, and several specialized sections and children’s groups are already dedicated to it in Prague. In total, according to coaches’ estimates, about 2 to 3 thousand children are involved in this sport in the Czech Republic.

Jitka Pšeničková trains every Wednesday in Hostivař, who regularly teaches about twenty children aged 6 to 15 as part of her Hobby Horse club. Due to its popularity and great interest, it will also increase the training capacity from September. As she explained to our editors, all you need for the first training is the desire to start a new sport. All other equipment can be rented directly on the spot.

Correct movement and role play are important

“The training sessions combine equestrian sports with live horses and plush ones. So we learn the correct movement around the stable as it is ridden with live horses and hone the technique of hobby horsing so that the movement of a person as closely as possible copies the movement of a horse around the stable. and tight movement,” Pšeničková described the course of training for PrahaIN.cz.

According to her, the role of play, i.e. theatrical elements and imagination, is also an important component within this sport: “During training, horses cackle, toss their heads, they don’t like something or they can jump out of excitement – in this area, I teach children not to do such demonstrations unnecessarily often to keep it balanced – I always tell them that if a riding horse starts five times and throws three times in 10 minutes of riding, there is a problem with its training and it is dangerous to ride such a horse and you need to go back to training “from the ground” . And yes, I already “dismounted” the little girl from the horse during training and practiced handwork with him – that is, she had the horse next to her and led the horse.

Hobby horsing training. Photo: Hobby Horse club archive

Taking care of the horse’s head is also part of the sport

The Hobby horsing club is also offered in Prague by the Children’s and Youth Center of Prague 9 (DDM). As Martina Hošková, an internal teacher, told the editors, 11 girls between the ages of 9 and 11 are taking part. They all have their own hobby horse. Part of the sport is also care in the form of combing or making a bridle.

Training here begins with a warm-up, as in classic sports. “After that, the girls improve the skills of the horse’s basic gaits – walk, trot, canter. And then we focus on one of the disciplines. We are dedicated to individual disciplines (parkour, dressage, western disciplines, trail) from the very beginning, including the rules. At the end of the training, there is stretching and “rolling out” of the horses,” explained Hošková.

Children most often start playing sports at home or in the park

But according to Kristína Polakovičová, founder of the first e-shop and online rental of hobby horses in the Czech Republic, myhobbyhorse.cz, very little is enough for children: “All you need is the desire to try something new, the desire to run or jump in any weather and in any season. To do this, buy or make a stuffed horse head, cut a wooden stick about 65 centimeters long to slide the head into, and the fun can begin. Children start jumping mostly at home, in the garden or in the park.”

Her e-shop offers children who are just getting started with hobby horsing a unique opportunity to borrow their head for 5 weeks and try the sport. Then they can return it or buy it permanently. One head in her shop basically costs 2,490 crowns. Depending on the complexity of the processing, it can cost as much as 5,000. For this, you also need to take into account other additional equipment, such as a blanket, chabraka, parelka, martingale and the like.

Horses are produced in three sizes XS, S and M according to the type of riding and the age of the child. “The horse’s head is made of artificial leather in different colors, the eyes and nostrils are made of eco leather and the mane is made of 100 percent wool. That’s because it’s non-flammable. Children also like to adjust their mane with a hair iron. Acrylic wool wouldn’t take it. The head itself is still drawn manually using an airbrush gun. A hobby horse modified in this way is often a work of art and the only companion,” Polakovičová added to the production.

A hobby horse can be both a work of art and a companion. Photo: Hobby Horse club archive

The races are based on equestrian sports

As with any sport, competitions play an important role in hobby horsing. They come as close as possible to racing with real horses. And in addition to the disciplines known from real horse riding, there is also a workshop where horses are prepared for riding. However, they can take place a little differently in each club.

Children can compete in several disciplines with their hobbies, the most common of which are dressage and parkour. Both have their basis in equestrian sports. Dressage focuses on the harmony of the rider with the horse, where the rider must complete a set of exercises in all gaits. At the same time, not only the ride as such is evaluated, but often also the overall aesthetics in the form of clothing.

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Parkour consists of overcoming obstacles. It can be judged on speed, i.e. who completes the route with obstacles in the shortest time, or on style. “I will evaluate the style in which the couple will enter the rink, whether they will add a theatrical presentation of the first jump tour and the style of greeting the judges (for style competitions, the greeting is part of it and I always draw the children’s attention to it). Furthermore, the crossing of the track itself is evaluated – the quality and accuracy of the gallop, the correct, unshortened approach to obstacles in the middle and whether the children gallop on the correct leg during the course. The last criterion is the harmony and overall impression of the couple – it will help a lot if the rider’s clothes resemble riding clothes as much as possible (they don’t have to be riding tights – white or cream leggings for a few crowns will suffice), if the rider wears shorts and a crop top on a stylish parkour – he gets a smaller the number of points for the overall impression (the children know this, it is stated in the rules),” explained Jitka Pšeničková from the Hobby Horse club.

Some competitions may also include a power jump, i.e. a discipline in which competitors try to overcome the highest possible obstacle.

Real horses can be an advantage, but not a necessity

Despite the significant connection between hobby horsing and equestrian sports with live horses, the trainers agree that skills and knowledge from real horses are not needed. But they can represent a certain advantage, and it is not unusual for children to combine both sports.

“Children are very docile in this regard, and those who enjoy it will learn it quickly. Some are dedicated to both live horses and hobby horsing and take it as an advantage. When they are not sitting in the saddle of a live horse, they can jump on a plush one. But on the other hand, some kids who ride wouldn’t even touch the hobby horsing head. It’s different,” concludes Kristína Polakovičová.