First German Championships in Hobby Horsing

Ernst galoppiert Amelie Plönnigs auf das dunkelgrüne Hindernis zu. Die Arme sind angewinkelt, in der rechten Hand hält sie die Zügel, mit der linken den Stock ihres Steckenpferdes Snoopy fest umklammert. Ihr Oberkörper bleibt aufrecht, ihr Nacken gerade – „wie ein Reiter auf seinem Pferd“, erklärt die 17 Jahre alte Hobby Horserin später.

Die Augen Hunderter Zuschauer sind auf die Reiterin gerichtet. Mit ihrem Unterkörper ahmt sie die Bewegungen der Pferdebeine nach, hebt die Knie fast bis zur Hüfte an. Kurz vor dem Hindernis spannt sie sich an und drückt sich mit dem rechten Fuß vom türkisfarbenen Tartanboden ab. Mit dem linken Knie voraus springt sie über die 70 Zentimeter hohe Stange. Die erste Hürde ist geschafft.

Amelie gehört zu den rund 300 Athletinnen und Athleten, die am Samstag und Sonntag aus ganz Deutschland nach Frankfurt gekommen sind, um an den ersten Deutschen Meisterschaften im Hobby Horsing teilzunehmen. Ausgetragen werden die Wettkämpfe vom 2023 gegründeten Deutschen Hobby Horsing Verband.

In a hall in the Frankfurt district of Kalbach-Riedberg, where athletics is usually practiced, white wooden slats and flower pots mark rectangular fields. There, participants compete in the disciplines of show jumping, timed jumping and dressage. One of the most popular disciplines is show jumping, in which Amelie also competes.

The best challenge is being able to jump well with both the left and right leg, explains her trainer Anabell Harms. This is because every time the eight athletes, who are competing in the U21 age group, change their grip and the sequence of steps. Amelie trained up to six times a week.

If you leave the multi-purpose hall towards the changing rooms, a sign leads to the workplace of Ulrike Plönnigs, Amelie’s mother. The physiotherapist is wearing a green T-shirt with “Helper” written on it in large letters and is bandaging a little girl’s ankle with black tape. “At the beginning, the children were queuing up,” says Plönnigs. Most of them come to her with ankle and knee problems. “That’s because of the strain of jumping,” says the volunteer. Growing girls have very soft ligaments and are more flexible than boys. This means they twist their ankles more easily. Tape is supposed to prevent that.

Back in the hall, a hobby horse rider has her hands full. Nele Nöhrbaß is standing at the table with the winners’ prizes, surrounded by young girls. She is a star of the scene. She signs notebooks, hobby horses and simple pieces of paper that her fans give her. Most people know her from YouTube. The 19-year-old hobby horse rider now has around 50,000 subscribers there. Every two weeks she uploads a video, shows new jumping techniques, gives training tips and instructions on how to make hobby horses. For many, she is an inspiration and a reason to take up the sport.

Amelie Plönnigs, on the other hand, became aware of the sport through a television report. “I was so fascinated that I sewed myself a hobby horse the very next day.” Back then, it was made from an old stick and a piece of bedsheet. That was in 2019.

There is now a regular market for hobby horses. Dozens of stalls have been set up just a few meters from the riding arenas. You can buy everything related to the sport, from finished hobby horses for more than 150 euros to fly hoods and a hobby horse advent calendar. Amelie made all of her hobby horses herself or won them. She owns around 20 in total.

Despite the hype that this hobby has experienced, prejudices persist. The internet is full of hate comments and many people claim that hobby horsing is not a real sport. Amelie Plönnigs says: “Of course it sounds funny when you hear that we ride around on a hobby horse.” Unfortunately, they also know many people who dropped out because of bullying. Josh Rosenberg, one of only ten male participants, says what he likes so much about hobby horsing: “You can be creative, do sport and get to know people from all over Germany.”

Among the approximately 2,000 visitors at the weekend, there is respect for the performance. Plönnigs not only masters the first hurdle, but also the other 16 jumps of the competition. In the end, she makes history and stands alone on the winner’s podium as the first German champion in the U21 age group in show jumping. Shortly afterwards, she can hardly believe it: “Totally surreal.”