Monday, July 15, 2024

The Finnish Hobby Horse Championships

 

I had no idea that this was a thing.  Here's a video clip of the 2023 Championships.




Is it a real sport?  Let a participant tell us about it.




As I said, I'm completely unfamiliar with this "sport".  However, a friend points out that after Texas cowhands are thrown by a longhorn bull in the arena, their hobbled gait as they stagger to their feet and try to get away from the bull sometimes resembles that of the hobby horse riders . . . with added sound effects, of course!



Peter


16 comments:

BGnad said...

Thank you Peter!
This is exactly the frivolity I needed today to lighten the load a bit!
Bravo Zulu!

John Galt said...

The timing is funny. Last night on America's Got Talent they had a woman who claimed to be a World Class " Hobby Horse"" champion. She missed a couple of jumps and did not go forward with 3 " No) votes.

Carl "Bear" Bussjaeger said...

It looks silly (but so does the SCA, and I did that for years), but the steeplechase part is pretty darned athletic.

Magson said...

Euro's also have "bike ballet" (both individual and in group formations) that are quite impressive. I especially like Viola Brand -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGu-d2MjAzs

I've also seen spanking competitions, but don't see any recent vids on those, so that may have died out.

Magson said...

For what it's worth, it looks like a modified track/field event emulating equestrian events, just without the horse. IMO, if it didn't have the hobby horse it wouldn't look so silly.

Aaron said...

I find the lack of coconuts rather disturbing.

ChrisJ said...

Heh, coconuts... I like it!

Seriously though, what else are they supposed to do in the long, cold winter nights?

Eaton Rapids Joe said...

One presumes that this sport is very popular in Finishing School?

For what it is worth, old wood-cut prints of "witches" show them riding brooms with the bristles up and the bend of them pointing forward. The handle of the broom is positioned between their legs. They look much like "hobby horses". The idea that witches rode brooms with the bristles in back only happened after The Wizard of Oz movie where the bristles are much like the tail of an aircraft.

Zaphod said...

So it's just (damned close-run-thing) plausibly-deniable performative public masturbation for teenage girls and women who cannot afford to do ditto with real horses.

I thought it was supposed to be Slouching Toward Bethlehem, not prancing like a @#$% Lippizaner.

Anonymous said...

Longhorns are used in rodeo bull riding events. Usually you’ll see Brahmas in that role.

Anonymous said...

Dude, who dropped a deuce in your cornflakes yesterday morning?

Anonymous said...

These people are mentally ill and inflicting their illness on their children.
Its make-believe. Like Gender theory, fantasy, feel good, immediate gratification.

Chuck Pergiel said...

video underground hobby horse training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsENfTmAdeI

Anonymous said...

to this lady prancig thru the woods on a stick just blows my mind..what is wrong with her?

Philip Sells said...

"For O, for O, the hobby-horse is forgot."

ravenshrike said...

Eh, still more of a real sport than curling.