Hobby Horsing is a Sport: An Injury Prevention Guide for Young Athletes

A Sport That Deserves Respect and Proper Preparation

You may have encountered the notion that hobby horsing is just a children's game. Don't be mistaken. This phenomenon, which originated in Finland and has quickly gained tens of thousands of followers worldwide, is a fully-fledged sports discipline. It combines demanding elements of athletics, gymnastics, and creativity, requiring not only talent but also diligent training and physical fitness. The existence of official organizations, such as the Czech Hobby Horsing Federation (ČeHoF), which organize professional competitions and set rules, only underlines its status as a real sport.

Disciplines like show jumping (parkour), dressage, racing, or puissance place significant demands on the bodies of young athletes. Clearing obstacles that can reach heights of over 100 cm – with international records approaching the 140 cm mark – is a respectable athletic performance that requires strength, coordination, and endurance. And as with any sport where performance boundaries are pushed, the right preparation and prevention are absolutely crucial. This is what determines whether the sport brings joy and success or becomes a source of unnecessary pain and injuries. This guide is here to show you how to approach hobby horsing professionally and safely so that the joy of movement is not spoiled.

The Most Common "Aches and Pains" in Hobby Horsing: What are the Risks and Why?

Intense training and competition bring the risk of specific injuries. Understanding their causes is the first step toward effective prevention. In hobby horsing, we most often encounter problems in the lower limbs and the muscular system.

Ankles and Knees: Joints on the Front Line

In disciplines like show jumping or puissance, the joints of the lower limbs are exposed to tremendous stress, especially during landings. Hard and inflexible surfaces like concrete or asphalt return almost all impact energy back into the body, excessively straining ligaments and cartilage. The most common acute injury is an ankle sprain (distortion), where a faulty landing damages the ligaments, typically on the outside of the joint. Long-term overuse of the knees during landings without proper technique can lead to chronic pain and damage to joint structures. A specificity of hobby horsing is the necessity of holding the stick of the hobby horse between the thighs, which can slightly alter the biomechanics of running and jumping. With improper technique, this can increase the risk of the knees collapsing inward upon landing (known as valgus deformity), which further increases pressure on the inner side of the knee joint.

Strained Muscles: From Muscle Soreness to Tears

Intense movement without sufficient preparation is the most common cause of muscle problems. It is important to distinguish between two conditions. The first is muscle soreness (scientifically known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS), which appears 1 to 2 days after unusual exertion. This involves microscopic damage to the muscle fibers, which is a natural part of the adaptation process and leads to muscle strengthening. The second, much more serious condition, is an acute muscle strain or tear (muscle rupture). This occurs suddenly, often during an abrupt movement (take-off, sprint), if the muscles are not sufficiently warmed up and perfused with blood. A cold muscle is less flexible and more susceptible to fiber tearing, which manifests as sharp pain and may require several weeks of rest. The most vulnerable muscles are those on the front and back of the thighs (quadriceps, hamstrings) and the calf muscles.

Abrasions and Falls: The Risk of Poor Surfaces

Although these are less severe injuries, abrasions and bruises from falls can be painful and temporarily prevent training. Their cause is almost always associated with an unsuitable training environment. Surfaces like gravel, cinder, or cracked concrete significantly increase the risk of skin injuries in a fall, which is always possible in a sport involving jumping and rapid changes of direction.

The Golden Rules of Prevention: How to Train Smart and Safely?

Prevention is not about limitation but about a smart approach to sport. Just like professional athletes, hobby horsing riders can significantly reduce the risk of injury while improving their performance by following a few basic rules. The foundation rests on four pillars: warm-up, correct equipment, technique, and cool-down.

Always Warm Up! (Warm-up is a must!)

Never underestimate the power of a good warm-up. It's not just "a few minutes of running," but a crucial physiological preparation of the body for stress. A properly performed warm-up increases the temperature and blood flow to the muscles, making them more flexible and resistant to tearing. It also activates the neuromuscular system, leading to better coordination and faster reactions. Dedicate 5 to 10 minutes to it before every training session. It is important to focus on dynamic exercises that prepare the body for movement, not static stretching (long holds in one position), which is more suitable for the end of the training.

Exercise	Duration / Repetitions	Execution and Tips	Why do it?
Phase 1: General Warm-up
Light Jogging / Running in Place	2 minutes	Maintain a light, relaxed rhythm. The goal is to increase heart rate.	Increases body temperature and blood flow to muscles.
Phase 2: Dynamic Stretching
High Knees	2x 30 seconds	Lift knees as high as possible toward the chest, pump arms as if running.	Activates hip flexors and improves coordination.
Butt Kicks	2x 30 seconds	Try to touch your buttocks with your heels, keep your torso upright.	Stretches and warms up the front thigh muscles (quadriceps).
Ankle Circles	10x each direction, each foot	Stand on one leg (balance training!) and circle the other foot at the ankle.	Increases mobility and "lubricates" the ankle joint, preparing for landings.
Hip Circles (Gate Openers)	10x each direction, each foot	Stand on one leg and "open" and "close" the gate with the bent leg.	Improves range of motion in the hip joint, crucial for jumping.
Forward Lunges with Torso Rotation	5x each leg	Take a lunge step and rotate your torso toward the front leg.	Complex exercise for hip stretching, leg strengthening, and core activation.

Correct Footwear and Surface are Key

Your shoes and the surface you train on act as external shock absorbers. With every landing, a force is exerted on your joints that can be several times your body weight. The right choice of equipment and environment significantly reduces this force.

• Footwear: Hobby horsing rules clearly require sturdy athletic shoes, and there is a reason for this. The ideal shoe should have a reinforced heel and ankle area to prevent "spraining." It is also important to have a sufficiently cushioned sole to absorb part of the impact, and a non-slip tread for good traction during take-offs and changes of direction. Fashion sneakers with flat and thin soles do not belong on the sports field.

• Surface: The choice of training surface is absolutely crucial. Always prefer soft and flexible surfaces such as grass, clay court, sand, or a gymnasium floor. These materials help to dampen impacts and are much gentler on your joints. Conversely, consistently avoid hard surfaces like asphalt and concrete. Training on them is a direct route to joint overload and fatigue injuries.

Jumping and Landing Technique: Be Like a Cat

Learning to land correctly and softly is the most important skill for preventing ankle and knee injuries. The goal is to distribute the impact force into the muscles, not into the joints and ligaments. Imagine how a cat lands – silently, smoothly, and with maximum cushioning.

• Land on the balls of your feet: Never land on your heels or flat on your feet. Landing on the balls of your feet (toes/forefoot) allows the arch of the foot and the calf muscles to spring as the first shock absorber. Landing on the heel sends a hard jolt directly into the shin, knee, and hip.

• Immediately bend the joints: Immediately upon contact with the ground, smoothly bend your ankles, knees, and hips. It's as if you are landing into a slight squat. This movement engages the large and powerful muscles of the thighs and buttocks, which absorb most of the impact energy.

• Keep your knees aligned: When landing and bending your legs, actively ensure that your knees point straight forward, in the same axis as your toes. Do not let them "fall" inward toward each other. This bad habit significantly overloads the ligaments on the inner side of the knee.

• Engage your core: A strong and active core (abdomen and lower back) provides you with the stability needed to control the entire landing and maintain balance.

Stretch at the End (Cool-down)

The final cool-down and stretching are just as important as the warm-up. Its goal is to gradually reduce the heart rate and perform static stretching on warmed-up muscles. This helps to improve their flexibility, accelerate recovery, and reduce the feeling of stiffness in the following days. Perform each exercise smoothly, without bouncing, and hold the end position for 20–30 seconds.

Cvik (Exercise)	Doba držení (Hold Duration)	Cílová oblast (Target Area)	Proč to dělat? (Why do it?)
Calf Stretch against a Wall	20-30 sec. per leg	Calves	Relieves tension in the calves, which are extremely stressed during jumps and landing on the balls of the feet.
Quadriceps Stretch	20-30 sec. per leg	Quadriceps	Stretches the muscles on the front of the thigh, key for running and jumping.
Hamstring Stretch	20-30 sec. per leg	Hamstrings	Improves flexibility of the back of the thighs, preventing muscular imbalances.
Glute Stretch (seated)	20-30 sec. per side	Glutes	Releases deep gluteal muscles and muscles in the hip area.
Cat-Cow Pose	5-10 slow repetitions	Back	Gentle stretching and mobilization of the spine after exertion.

Conclusion: The Joy of Movement Without Worry

Hobby horsing is a dynamic and beautiful sport that is rightly winning more and more hearts. To ensure it only brings you joy, you must approach it with the respect and responsibility that every sport deserves. Remember the three key pillars of safe training: a thorough warm-up before every performance, correct footwear and surface, and precise landing technique. These simple habits are the best thing you can do for your body and will allow you to enjoy hobby horsing to the fullest without unnecessary injuries.

Precisely because we understand hobby horsing as a sport, our JUHI hobby horses are designed to withstand the stress. Their lightweight construction, which is crucial for achieving maximum jump height, and safe execution from soft materials without sharp edges are the foundation for every athletic performance. We wish you much success and, above all, the joy of movement without worries!