Seventeen-year-old Týna, whom most of the community knows by the handle kht_tyna_, is one of the most prominent figures in Czech hobby horsing. And it is by no means just about her results in the arena—though her overall victory in the season-long Paskov Cup, more than 170 rosettes collected, and three-time representation of the Czech Republic in Finland speak for themselves.
Týna holds just about every conceivable role in the community. She is a certified trainer and judge at ČeHoF qualifiers, organizes competitions in Kvasice, works at summer camps, and co-hosts the podcast Hobbyhorsing za oponou (Hobbyhorsing Behind the Curtain) with Sandra Moravcová. Furthermore, on social media, she has long been striving to break prejudices and show the public the other side of this sport—the honest, gritty, and training-intensive one.
How does she manage to combine the roles of competitor, trainer, and judge? What does preparation for international competitions entail, and what is her recipe for dealing with snide remarks from others? You will find out all of this in our new interview!
Photo source: kht_tyna_
How long have you been involved in hobby horsing and what brought you to it?
I have been involved in hobby horsing since 2022. That is, since I was 13. It was brought to my attention by a video on Instagram where a girl was jumping about 90 cm with a hobby horse. Back then, I told myself it couldn't be that hard, and I tried it myself. I found out it wasn't that much fun. I was able to jump a maximum of 65 cm. But I somehow started to enjoy it, and the more I tried, the greater the desire I had to get a hobby horse. On Instagram, I found a girl who was selling a beautiful grey but old horse. Unfortunately, no one wanted to buy him, so she held a competition for him back then, which I won. And that’s how I got my horse Lucky, whom I still have today, and he is my main horse, so to speak.
What do you like most about hobby horsing?
Oof! There’s really a lot. I think what I like most is that everyone can find "their thing" here. Someone is more into speed and jumping competitions, so they choose show jumping. Those who like to jump but maybe aren't that fast, there are limit jumping courses for them. Those who prefer to jump for height, there is high jump. Someone might not want to jump at all, so they choose dressage or western. Those who don't want to dedicate themselves to the sport as much but are creative become makers of hobby horses and equipment for them. Everyone has the chance to find what they enjoy, and to me, that is the beauty of this sport.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
You are an active competitor, you have already traveled to international competitions, and you also work as a trainer and judge. What is it like to combine these three roles together?
I have already been abroad three times, always to Finland. It was an unforgettable experience, and I love returning there. I would never have made it there, however, without ČeHoF and Sandra Moravcová. As I already wrote, Finland has always been an unforgettable experience for me, mainly thanks to the people who were there! When you have a great group of people around you, the competitions and everything around them is always much better! I dare say that if I didn't have such a group around me, my competition results would be a little worse as well. I have placed in Finland every year, mainly thanks to the support and the people who were around me that day.
I hold multiple roles in this community. Whether as a trainer, judge, organizer, or competitor—and to tell the truth, for me, it is a huge advantage. I can look at a specific situation from multiple angles this way. And I am quite a multi-functional person, so combining all the roles together has never been a problem for me.
Will you tell us how many rosettes and trophies you have already collected during your competition career? Which of them are your favorite?
I currently have exactly 170 rosettes and 23 trophies + I have one huge, perpetual one at home for the HH cup Paskov 2025/2026 season. My favorite rosette is definitely the yellow one for first place as the overall winner of the HH cup Paskov. It has more value to me than all the prizes from Finland because it proves that my performance was good for the whole season and wasn't a matter of luck at one competition. In second place, I would probably put the purple-blue-white rosette from Finland from 2025 for first place. Because ever since I started, I dreamed that one day I would look into Finland and take home the best possible placement.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
What would you identify as your biggest achievement in hobby horsing so far?
I would probably identify the first place in the HH cup Paskov as my biggest achievement. As I wrote before, it testified to my year-round fitness and effort.
What goals do you set for yourself as a competitor for the future?
The biggest goal for me is probably to be an inspiration for younger riders, so that they don't leave this sport too early because of their age. A big goal for me is to actively improve and continue to represent hobby horsing at an international level.
Photo source: kht_tyna_ | author of the right photo: SANHOR
Will you share with us how many hobby horses you have stabled in your stable?
I have four hobby horses—Lucky, Casandra, Corny, and Řízek. Lucky is my main horse, with whom I ride the most often. I take Casandra and Corny with me to competitions every now and then, but not as often as I used to. And I sometimes train with Řízek, but I don't take him to competitions because of his weight.
Do you also have something from JUHI in your collection?
Yessss! I have a hobby horse bag that I travel to competitions with very often, and a pendant that I have on my keys. I won both of these things at a ČeHoF qualifier, and I absolutely adore them. But what I love from Juhi most of all is the travel pillow that I got for my name day.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
You are a qualified trainer—will you tell us what every good hobby horse trainer must be able to do and how the trainer exams went?
They should certainly be able to motivate children for the sport, guide them correctly, be able to train them, and at the same time put a piece of themselves into every training session.
I took my trainer exams a year ago. I completed the practical part at a camp at Sanhor under the supervision of the head leaders, where I trained children for a week. The day before the last, a theoretical part in the form of a test awaited me.
What is it like for you to lead young sporting talents? How many times a week do you lead training sessions?
It’s an amazing feeling! What I enjoy most is watching how they improve and move forward every day. On one hand, it is, of course, a great responsibility, but on the other, it is also a huge joy.
I regularly lead one training session a week, where we focus mainly on show jumping because that is what most children want to do most. For those who were interested, we could also arrange a private training session, where we also focused on dressage before competitions.
I am currently getting ready for my third year of high school, so unfortunately, I have a little less time for training than I would like. Even so, I still want to continue leading at least one training session a week as the trainer for the HH Kvasice team and continue to dedicate myself to the children.
Photo source: kht_tyna_ | author of the photo: SANHOR
What do you think hobby horse trainers should watch out for, or conversely, what do many of them overlook during training and preparation for competitions? Do you have any tips?
I think trainers should mainly watch out not to focus only on performance and results. Because we never know what mood a child will come to training in. I can have a difficult exercise prepared, but if I see that the children are tired and don't feel up to it, I prefer to adapt it. Every child is different, and it is important to respect their individuality. Before competitions, in my opinion, mental preparation is often forgotten. A trainer should know the children well and know what they need before the start. Some want support and the company of friends; others, conversely, need peace and headphones. If a child wants to be alone and I start convincing them before the start about how they can handle everything, I can unsettle them more. My tip, therefore, is to get to know the children as well as possible and find out what helps them the most before a competition.
As has already been mentioned, you are also a certified judge. Will you tell us what this work entails and what parameters are evaluated at competitions in specific disciplines?
A judge's work is primarily about great responsibility and focus. A judge must track a lot of things during a competition and at the same time ensure that the evaluation is as objective and fair as possible.
At the competitions at ČeHoF, where I regularly work as a judge, I have had the opportunity to judge all disciplines already, and slightly different things are evaluated in each discipline. For example, in show jumping competitions, time usually decides—whether it is a limit jump or a speed jump. In dressage, conversely, the execution of individual movements, precision, endurance, etc., are evaluated. For western disciplines, it depends on what the competition is. If we are talking, for example, about barrel racing, then time decides there, and conversely, for western trail, the correctness of the performed task is evaluated.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
Would you ever like to judge international competitions?
I have actually never thought about this, but I say to myself, why not? I have already experienced having riders from Slovakia at competitions, so I have actually already judged international competitions. But if we are talking about some bigger ones where there would be more countries, my answer remains the same. Of course, there would have to be unified rules so that the competitions were fair, but I would definitely go for it!
You are very active on social media, and you are also one of the prominent faces of ČeHoF at competitions. What is it like to cooperate with ČeHoF?
As far as my cooperation with ČeHoF is concerned, I cannot complain at all! I am very glad that I can be a part of something that helps move hobby horsing further. What I enjoy most is precisely the diversity of what we do for riders together, whether it’s competitions, events, camps, social media, the podcast, or various special projects.
At the same time, thanks to ČeHoF, I got to Finland. One of the best preparations for this experience for me was precisely their competitions. Thanks to ČeHoF, I met a lot of great people, and I have the opportunity to participate in things that I might not even have thought of myself. I take it as a great experience and I am glad that I can be a part of such a great team.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
What do you appreciate most about this organization?
If I truly appreciate something about it, it is the approach to organizing competitions and events. I like that they give tangible prizes at competitions. Hardly anyone does that anymore. I also like that they give really big and beautiful trophies and rosettes. ČeHoF mainly holds qualifiers for the Czech Republic championship, and it can be seen that the prizes, organization, and overall visualization of the competitions are really at a high level—worthy of a qualifier and the Czech Republic championship. What I also like is that they create an amazing atmosphere for the riders. I always look forward to the end of the competition because the high jump is performed. It is always at the end when the arenas are already cleared and the riders have huge space to run and jump. At the high jump, the song Fireball by the artist Pitbull is always played, and you have to see that atmosphere! It is something incredible... The girls are immediately more passionate about the jump, and the whole hall starts clapping! As a judge, I also notice at events how the girls support each other and what joy they always have when they win. ČeHoF really makes the award ceremony a celebration. It’s not just some random moment from the competition... The song Legendary by Welshly Arms is always played and the top five are placed in the arena. During the award ceremony, the riders always get a rosette clipped onto their horse, and they have their hands full of prizes, and then they take a victory lap across the whole hall to the song Legendary and with big applause from the others. It is really such a ceremonial moment. I like that they don’t just get it over with, but really have it with everything it entails.
Photo source: kht_tyna_ | author of the left photo: barca_by_hobbyhorses
What about competitions with a Halloween theme? Dressage in special costumes... could you describe these competitions for us? What are the nicest, craziest, and most elaborate costumes you have already seen?
The competitions with a Halloween theme were from the Sanhor organization back then. It was, I think, the second round of the HH cup Paskov. It was an amazing competition! Everywhere there were little lights, artificial cobwebs, balloons, and the biggest spectacle was definitely the freestyle dressage, which was performed in costumes. The costume that definitely comes to my mind as the first one was Tinkerbell! Nela Vanišová (horsezone) wore this amazing costume back then, and I think she completely dazzled us all with it. But let’s be honest, the biggest show in a costume that day for me was definitely performed by Gábi Plutová (kht__espresso). She was dressed as a pirate, and her song for dressage was thematic from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s no wonder she has the nickname "dressage queen" here in Paskov; I think that the show she performed will be remembered for a long time.
However, it was definitely one of the best competitions by the Sanhor organization. I really love thematic competitions, and the Sanhor organization in particular is always able to create an unforgettable atmosphere, whether it’s a Halloween special, a reindeer jump special, or any other competition. I know that whenever I go to them for a special, I can expect a really big spectacle!
What would you say to children who would like to dedicate themselves to hobby horsing but are afraid of the reactions of those around them?
Let them follow their own path. I was also afraid of the reaction of people, but in the end, I now meet more people who support me rather than laugh at me. Moreover, thanks to hobby horsing, I found many good friends.
Photo source: kht_tyna_
Will you confide in us how you yourself deal with the reactions of those around you to the fact that you are involved in hobby horsing?
I think those around me have already somehow gotten used to me, as far as, for example, our village is concerned. People support me there or don't pay attention to me. Whenever they see me running, for example, they stop me and ask me when I have my next competition, when we will be organizing the next competition, etc... So as far as where I live, I couldn't be more satisfied. At school, my classmates don't pay much attention to me. And if a remark happens to come up, I ignore it. I have a mind of my own, and I don't take insults about the sport from people at all. Mostly, people who have never played sports will make remarks. Athletes, on the other hand, will support you in most cases.
Would you like to add anything at the end of our interview?
I would like to tell everyone to follow their dreams. When things aren't going well, it’s good to stop and take a breath for a while. Everything doesn't have to be forced. Just stop, take a break, and look around. Because when a person takes a breath and stops for a moment, they often find a better path and maybe even a lot of new possibilities.
Photo source: kht_tyna_ | author of the photo: SANHOR