The second edition of the charity Christmas hobbyhorse tournament at the NIESA horse base caused twice as much interest. More than 30 children participated a year ago, and on the eve of Christmas in 2024, more than 60 competitors between the ages of 5 and 17 took part in the fun challenge.
This unusual sports discipline originated in Finland and combines the competitive spirit of traditional equestrian sports with unique accessibility – competitors overcome obstacles with horses on wooden sticks, demonstrating balance, agility and imagination. The organizers noted that the interest is a clear certificate that hobby horse riding is gaining more and more popularity in Bulgaria as well.
The participants in the second hobbyhorse tournament tested their strength in a total of three trials, overcoming obstacles of 40, 60 and 80 cm, respectively.
And this year, the event was opened with a demonstration parkour, in which representatives of “Special Olympics Bulgaria” took part. And the nine participants were awarded with special rosettes and medals.
In the first test with a height of 40 cm obstacles, competitors up to 11 years of age were admitted. The winner was Vaneda Traikova, who managed to cross the course in 29.79 seconds and without conceding penalty points.
Ann Miteva became the winner of the second test, after also flawlessly overcoming the parkour with a height of 60 cm in 23.76 seconds.
In the third test, the winner was announced after the barrage was held – six competitors crossed the course without collapsing a barrier and received the right to compete for the grand prize.
Stefan Botev, who took the cup in this test, turned out to be the fastest and again faultless.
The highlight of the event was again the show jumping, in which more than 30 competitors took part. The highest barrier was overcome by Alexandra Petrova, who became its winner, overcoming a height of 115 cm.
