Playing with a hobby horse.

The Hobby Horse is an equestrian discipline that uses a toy horse mounted on a broomstick or a pole as a substitute for a real horse. Here are some ideas of what you can do with a Hobby Horse:

1 – Simulate equestrian activities

You can use your hobby horse to practice riding in your garden, in a park, or at your riding club to have fun with your fellow riders when you’re not on a real horse. It’s an excellent way to improve your balance and the coordination of your movements. We recommend closely watching videos of dressage horses, for example. You can then reproduce their movements and dressage airs (walk, trot, canter/gallop, piaffe, passage, pirouette…) on your two legs with your hobby horse. 
You can also imagine an obstacle course like with a real horse or pony. If you don't have obstacles, you can make some by laying brooms across chairs or cardboard boxes. Try to set up a proper course with different obstacle configurations: fences of varying heights, small cross‑rails, little oxers, and small tarpaulins to force you into long jumps, like jumping a river on a real horse. You can also hold little training competitions with your friends. For example, do the course as fast as possible like a jump‑off in a show‑jumping competition — the fastest wins a small prize, for example. 
Let your imagination run wild and above all, have fun !

2- Make a hobby-horse carousel with your friends.

Pair up in groups of two and, if possible, try to have at least two or three pairs. Invent a choreography while trying to coordinate well. To help you imagine your carousel routine, you can take inspiration from the Cadre Noir performances. Watch videos and jot down on a piece of paper the moves they perform. You can cut some parts and keep the ones you find the most beautiful to watch.
When the choreography is well rehearsed, you can all invite your families and lots of friends to watch the show. It's really a lot of fun and it develops your imagination. You'll see that if one day you do the same thing on a real horse, you'll already be quite advanced in your technique. You'll quickly learn how to coordinate with your other hobby-horsing friends.

3- Take care of and look after your hobby horse as if it were a real horse.

You can dress it like a real horse with lots of accessories. For example, when you're going to ride it, you put on its... bridles "et son" → "and his" (Depending on context, "son" can also be translated "and her" or "and its".) fly Veils to keep the flies from coming to bother him by buzzing in his ears. 
You can also put one on him/her. head collar and attach a lunge line to it. You can ask a friend to hold the lunge while you trot beside her, or have her lunge you like a real horse. 
When your hobby horse has worked hard, don’t hesitate to give it some rewards. You can use small wooden fruits and vegetables like the ones sold on Hobby Horse Land. It's a very good habit to learn to reward your pet when it has done a good job.
When you're finished playing, you'll put your hobby horse to rest in your room or in its hobby-horse stable; you can put a little... blankets A special hobby horse so that he doesn't get cold during the night. 

4- A little contest for the prettiest hobby-horse mane.

You can also organize a small beauty contest for hobby horses. Everyone does their hairstyle — little braids. Then you take lots of photos that you post on Instagram and Facebook and have internet users vote.
To win, you need to remember to practice beforehand, of course. You can have fun making lots of hairstyles with the mane of your hobby horse. For example, give it "pions." These are braids that you wrap up to make a little ball which you secure with ribbons or colored hair ties. 
You can also braid it with ribbons or tie little bows at the ends. In short, you can let your imagination run wild. Doing your hobby horse's hair is truly hours of guaranteed fun. 

5- Create hobby-horse videos for social media

The Hobby Horse has become a phenomenon on social media, where users create dance and performance videos with their Hobby Horse. You can also make your own short film and share it on your page to entertain your friends and family. Don’t hesitate to be imaginative and very funny — it’s really a silly, fun activity.

6- Participate in hobby-horsing competitions

Hobby Horse competitions are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. The competitions include obstacle courses, dressage tests, and jumping competitions.

Finally, the hobby horse is a fun activity that can be enjoyed alone or with friends. You can invent your own games and competitions to have fun with your hobby horse.