Think back to your 10-year-old horse crazy self. Maybe you were one lucky kid who was already enrolled in horseback riding lessons. Maybe you were an even luckier kid who already had they’re own pony! Or maybe you were like me and many other kids at that age, desperate for any and all interaction with horses but woefully far-removed from the horse world, which was also financially inaccessible to my family at that point anyway.
No lie, if competitive hobby horsing were a thing when I was a little kid I’m pretty sure I would have been all over it. I was a competitive and athletic child that would have (literally) jumped at any and all opportunities to compete with my own “horse” and if the opportunity to compete in hobby horsing meant that I’d get to go watch real life horses in action, like it does at the North American Hobby Horse Series which is held alongside Tryon International’s summer hunter and jumper shows, then even better! Check out the above vlog by a young teen, Mica, who traveled to Tryon to compete with her hobby horse and enjoyed the live action as well. Mica also has her own Etsy shop to sell hobby horses that she sews herself. Industrious kid!
I’ve seen other equestrians poke some fun at hobby horsing, but if it’s getting kids just a step closer to horses and more interested in equestrian sports then what’s not to like? More importantly, if they’re having fun then who cares! Now here’s a very serious question for the eventing community: why are there no hobby horse trials?! That would be fun.
