On the back of a hobby horse

In hobby horsing, you are both horse and rider. However, this is not the only special feature about the sport. If you take a gander at the TuS Altrip sports club during training, it becomes clear that what started as hype on social media has long since become a challenging discipline.

The course will be completed in a moment. Theresa Harengerd and her sister Helena have just a few more jumps to accomplish, then the hobby horsing freestyle is over. “Hang in there, you’re almost done,” coach Sandra Unger encourages the two teenagers, while they perform a dressage pas de deux in the Sporthalle am Rheindamm training hall located in Altrip. They complete the course on their horses—hobby horses made of fabric, not real ones.

The strenuous programme that the sisters perform lasts just under two and a half minutes. The dressage section is considered particularly demanding, requiring synchronisation and harmony apart from the athletic component. “Hobby horsing is physically demanding, but it also requires a lot of cognitive skill and coordination,” Sandra explains. Theresa agrees: “It’s more strenuous than riding a real horse. In a riding lesson, you also learn a lot of theory and groom the horse,” whereas in hobby horsing you are both the horse and the rider.

However, it’s not entirely true that there is no horse involved, because the hobby horse itself is at least as important as the athletic performance. The animal has nothing to do with the children’s toy, though. At TuS Altrip, where about 40 girls currently practise hobby horsing, no two horses look alike. You’ll easily pay up to 1,000 euro if you want a high-quality, decorative, individually designed version with a fancily braided mane, fluffy coat and many playful details—and there’s virtually no upper limit.

The sport is inseparable from its presence in social media. For several years now, it has been a regular feature on any well-stocked Instagram timeline where you can see mostly young girls performing dressage exercises or jumping over obstacles on hobby horses. Boys are also allowed at TuS Altrip, by the way. According to the association Deutscher Hobby Horsing Verband, there are 5,000 active hobby horsers throughout Germany, registered in 230 clubs.

Hobby Horsing verlangt körperlich, aber auch kognitiv und koordinativ einiges

Trainerin Sandra Unger

The trend originated in Finland and has been spreading rapidly around the world in the past few years. There are now several associations that organise national and international championships in addition to the long-established tournaments. Altrip hosts the Cup der goldenen Möhre tournament (literally: the golden carrot cup), which the host club won for the first time in 2024.

Sandra ensures that the athletes are equipped with the skills they need to prove themselves in such competitions. Many of her protégés have already achieved success in tournaments, albeit in individual competitions and not as a club member. The still very young industry has set itself strict rules, which are judged just as strictly. The execution of the exercise, stretching, posture—all of this is taken into account by a jury, who decide on the final ranking by awarding points.

The world record in jumping now stands at an incredible 1.59 metres. Dressage is not quite as obviously athletic: riders must demonstrate maximum body tension and easiness at the same time, constantly realigning themselves and their hobby horses, mastering gait, rein tension and gait changes. The order in the freestyle section, changes of direction and gaits must also be taken into account. And they must ensure that the movements are in harmony with the music. “That’s quite a lot,” says Theresa, who also rides and does vaulting in addition to hobby horsing, but doesn’t want to miss out on training in Altrip because she loves the challenges this relatively new sport offers her.

Jumping requires the most fitness. “We are now seeing the first injuries and problems with treating them properly or, at best, avoiding them altogether. Many of the movements you make when jumping are not represented in sports science, so there are no approaches on how to deal with them,” explains Sandra, who works as a provider manager in the IT industry. Each training session therefore begins with an extensive warm-up.

Half an hour before she starts her private lesson with Helena and Theresa, Sandra prepares everything. She first pushes up the roller door to the club’s equipment storage room and flips on the light switch. She founded the department within the TuS Altrip club back in 2021. “Because of my daughter Amelie.” The department has made a name for itself far beyond the borders of Altrip in the meantime.

“It’s important to understand that hobby horsing wouldn’t exist without social media,” she explains. Videos of training sessions and competitions are posted there. This means that athletes are exposed to the anarchic nature of online reviews and judgement. “This is why mental training is a vital part of our programme. It’s about finding peace, switching off racing thoughts and focusing on training.” Malice, sexualisation—the girls must be protected from all these things. “Did you design this freestyle section yourself?” Helena asks as she leafs through the pages of Sandra’s folder. “Yes, 21 of them, to be precise,” replies the coach, eliciting Helena’s appreciative amazement. What began as a leisurely activity has become a passion.

The girls still come from Landau, Weinheim, Neustadt and sometimes even further afield to the sports hall in Altrip because there are no alternatives in the area. “There is simply a lack of coaches,” says Sandra. There is certainly demand. “We have a long waiting list,” says the coach as she searches her locker for the markers needed for the dressage arena, which extends over the outdoor area between the training hall and the football stadium in Altrip this evening. Speaking of football: When Sandra introduced hobby horsing to TuS Altrip in 2021, it raised a few eyebrows. “There was very little understanding.” Today, however, the hall is full when the annual tournaments take place. Hobby horsing has found a place in the hearts of the Altrip residents. And in the competition tables of competitive sports.

www.hobbyhorsingaltrip.de

Training takes place every Friday evening from 5.30 p.m. in the Sporthalle am Rheindamm hall in Altrip. Girls aged 9 and above can join and boys are just as welcome.