The first wooden horse riding championship is being held in Frankfurt this weekend, with hundreds of riders competing in show jumping, show jumping and dressage.
Around 300 riders will run with their “horses” around the gymnasium today and tomorrow. The competition is part of a growing wave of wooden horse riding on an international level.
The United States and Australia also held their first championships this year.
The competitions grew out of a local movement in Finland, where riders trotted their wooden horses through the Scandinavian forests more than 20 years ago.
Such entertainment gained additional popularity through social networks, during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Julija Mikonen, the head of the Finnish Wooden Horse Riding Association, said that the sport combines Finnish handicraft culture with gymnastics and sports.
In Germany, a year ago, a national association of wooden horse riders was founded with only 13 members.
Now, however, there are more than 5,000 active athletes and more than 200 clubs across the country.
“It was very important for us to set an example and make the sport more popular,” said Kay Schumann, president of the German Association of Wooden Horse Riders.
“With the championship, which will be held every year from now on, we offer a goal that motivates ‘hobby horsemen’ to improve their performance and compete against each other,” it said.
While organizers want to promote empowerment and acceptance through a positive and inclusive experience for competitors, many riders have faced bullying and misogynistic comments online.
Mikonen said that, like in other sports, hobby riders need strong muscles and endurance to compete successfully.
Participants in this weekend’s championship in Germany will be judged on factors including precision, timing and elegance, according to the website of the German Wooden Horse Riders Association.
Judges will assign marks in competitions based on style and dressage, and the one with the highest number of points wins.
For dressage, the judges will observe the rider’s posture, skills and body position, i.e. whether they use elegant leg movements, so that the toes touch the ground first.
Show jumpers will also be judged on their posture, as well as jumping over obstacles, holding on landing and keeping a steady pace.
Photo: wikipedia
