An amateur horse competitor has posted a dramatic video of her writhing in pain after completing her round in the unusual tournament.
The 40-second clip posted to TikTok doesn’t show any of the actual routine, but the rider, Anna, can be seen convulsing on the ground after her performance.
The teenager, who is from the Czech Republic, appears to be completely out of breath as she is seen panting on the floor of a sports hall.
In one part of the video you can see her coughing and hyperventilating as if she were about to vomit.
“This is me after my dressage routine… I was fainting, I couldn’t breathe, I was almost vomiting, I was dizzy, I was shaking, my whole body was burning with pain…” Anna, 16, captioned the video.
An amateur horse competitor has posted a dramatic video of her writhing in pain after completing her round in the unusual tournament.
Anna, 16, from the Czech Republic, could be seen gasping for air and appeared to be in pain.
She responded to claims that amateur horse riding is easy, highlighting the intense physical effort involved in jockeys trotting like horses.
‘”Hobbyhorsing is not a sport, it is easy and anyone can do it.” . . Oh yeah?’ Anna asks on her TikTok, in response to her criticism.
‘Yes, it seems easy, but this is reality :)’, he replies.
Anna has posted a series of videos of her pastime gaming over the past week, one of which appeared to show her winning a “national championship”, but the comments have not been kind.
“I think this says more about your stamina than a horse riding hobby,” wrote one TikTok user.
‘Hobby horse riding is NOT easy. It takes years of dedication to believe it’s a real sport,’ a second mocked.
‘Passion for horseback riding? When I was a child we called it playing,’ added another.
Anna has posted a series of videos of her fans playing over the past week, one of which appeared to show her winning a “national championship.”
The toy horse craze has been around for several years and primarily sees teenagers riding toy animals and competing in competitions.
The tournaments have coaches and judges and participants are obliged to respect the rules of the riding competitions.
Like a real horse and its rider, the workhorse and its master form a team and bond with each other. The sport also simulates traditional equestrian events such as dressage and show jumping.
Some real equestrians may dismiss horse riding as a childish pastime and not suitable for those over the age of 10, but Fred Sundwall, general secretary of the Finnish Equestrian Federation, disagrees.
“We think it’s just wonderful that hobby-horsing has become such a phenomenon and is so popular,” Sundwall said during an interview in 2017.
A girl jumps during a training session at a Hobby riding competition in Russia in April.
The toy horse craze has been around for several years and primarily sees teenagers riding toy animals and competing in competitions. Photos, an April contest
Dozens of hobby horses are lined up ready to be ridden during a Hobby Horse championship in Finland (file photo from 2019)
“For children and adolescents who do not have horses, this gives them the opportunity to interact with them outside of stables and riding schools as well.”
The discipline comes from Finland and remains more of a grassroots movement than a professional sport.
Finland has more than 10,000 hobby horse enthusiasts, by far the largest number of any country.
But the sport is gradually gaining momentum in other European nations such as Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, all hotbeds of equestrian sports.
The vast majority of workhorses are homemade: owners trade them and sell them at events and through social media.
