On 11–12 May 2024, the Czech Hobby Horsing Championship took place in Kladno. The event was organized by the Czech Hobby Horsing Association. Competitors who had met the requirements in qualifying rounds held across the country throughout the season were able to take part in the Czech Championship.
Two competition days
Over the two days, more than 400 competitors took part in the Championship in two competition halls. Thanks to the high turnout, the competitions ran all day and into the evening. The individual disciplines took place in three arenas with adjacent warm-up areas. We have to say, the halls were truly buzzing.
Disciplines
Dressage, puissance, show jumping, racing — each of these individual disciplines crowned a new Czech Champion. The disciplines were divided by age category and level of difficulty.
Puissance was one of the most exciting events. As the riders were encouraged to jump higher and higher, the whole audience cheered them on thunderously, just like in other sports.
As always, the dressage classes captivated spectators with their music, the styling of the Hobby Horse, and the riders’ dress code.
Show jumping was held as both style jumping and timed jumping. We have to say, in some of those turns, things were really flying.
After two sport-filled days, the final race was truly impressive.
International judges
Alisa Aarniomäki and Julia Mikkonen came all the way from Finland to judge the main disciplines — show jumping and dressage. Thanks to their many years of experience, they judged with a truly exacting eye. In fact, all the judges were strict; after all, this was the highest level of Hobby Horsing competition. With such high-quality performances from the competitors, the judges certainly did not have it easy. Every performance was a spectacle not only for the judges, but also for the spectators. Over the course of the event, more than 1,000 spectators must have visited the stands over the course of the event.
LarDen and the Championship
LarDen had the honor of being the main sponsor of this wonderful event. The very best competitors received championship saddle pads with the Czech Championship logo, made by our talented seamstress. Eight Hobby Horses sewn specially for this occasion were ready for the raffle on both days. Their winners were overjoyed. And we are delighted that we still see these horses at competitions. We recognize them easily — they are a limited edition prepared exclusively for the Czech Championship.
Side programme
Big competitions deserve a big side programme, too. A shopping area was prepared for competitors and their parents. There was everything from horses to a wide range of Hobby Horsing accessories. A creative zone was open for the youngest visitors, where children could make a little wooden horse with a yarn mane as a keepsake. A raffle was held on both days, and in between events the competitors could meet and take a photo with head judge Alisa.
2024/25 season
In September 2024, a series of qualifying competitions began across the country. At all of these competitions, riders have the chance to qualify for the Czech Championship, which will take place in Brno on 7–8 June 2025. With the new season came an update to the rules and a new discipline: cross-country. It is clear to see how rapidly Hobby Horsing is growing as a sport. You can find all the news and competition dates on the association’s website.
From all of us at LarDen, we wish everyone the best of luck at your competitions, and we look forward to seeing you all at our stand in the shopping area.
You can find a short video from the Czech Championship on our YouTube channel.
