Hobby horses to take part in show pony championship
IT SEEMED so far-fetched that many of Horse & Hound’s readers assumed it was an April Fool’s joke. But to the delight of aspiring young riders everywhere, the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) really has introduced hobby horse riding competitions.
In the latest move to encourage an even wider age group to take up the sport, classes will be divided into two age ranges – three to six and seven to 11.
Competitors at the BSPS’s summer championships will each perform a freestyle show of no more than two minutes, with 50 marks on offer for coordination, balance, energy and body control. Another 50 marks will be awarded for “overall performance of the show with energy and appeal”.
While plaits will be optional, riders’ toes will be required to be pointed outwards and “elegance and energy” will be the key determiners in qualifying for a hobby horse riding final.
A BSPS spokesman said: “The BSPS wanted to embrace the hobby horse craze as an addition to our fabulous children’s entertainment programme, which sets the society apart from others in providing all-round family fun.”
The top three will qualify for the summer championships, with a £300 voucher on offer for the winners.
Several readers were so baffled by the announcement that Horse & Hound even published a clarification on its website. It stated: “This year, our April Fool story was about the earliest example of ‘matchy-matchy’ horse and rider gear, dating from about 35,000 BC.
“Some [readers] assumed that the story published later the same day about...a hobby horse championship was also an April Fool, when it was not.”