My Journey to the German Hobby Horsing Championship
In this blog post, Paula shares her journey to the German Championship in Hobby Horsing.
Hobby Horsing is a sport that many people underestimate at first glance. In reality, it requires training, endurance and a lot of passion. In this article, I want to share my personal journey and explain how I managed to qualify for the German Championship in Hobby Horsing despite an injury and many challenges. In the end, I even became the Vice Champion in Dressage.
How It All Began
How did I get into this sport? It all started with a Christmas gift: a book about sewing Hobby Horses. With the help of my cousin, who had already made several, I created my very first horse. When I discovered that real Hobby Horsing competitions existed, I was immediately fascinated and couldn’t stop. Soon after, I took part in my first tournaments.
The Beginning: Qualification in Hobby Horsing
Long before the qualification events, I had already taken part in many Hobby Horsing competitions with different clubs. I had a good idea of what to expect and finally chose Freiburg as the place to compete.
The weekend of the event was full of excitement. First came the timed jumping, followed by dressage and style jumping. All performances were recorded and uploaded to the scoring system. I could already see on site that I had made it. I was qualified and incredibly happy.
Setback: Injury Before the Championship
Unfortunately, the joy did not last long. I injured my ankle during training. At first it seemed minor, but after weeks of pain and an MRI, it turned out to be a serious injury. I was told to rest completely for six weeks.
It felt like my world had fallen apart because the championship was getting closer. Fortunately, my orthopedist understood my motivation and allowed me to return to training earlier, on the condition that I would let it heal fully afterwards.
Training Between Hope and Pain
From that point on, discipline was everything. I went to the gym several times a week to build strength and endurance for dressage and jumping. I also joined special training sessions in my local club, even though the drive from Stuttgart took about two hours each way.
My foot hurt every time I moved, but physiotherapy and kinesio tape helped. I learned how to work with my body despite the pain. There were moments when I wanted to give up, but my family and best friend kept giving me strength to continue.
The German Championship: Pure Emotion
After all the setbacks, the day of the German Championship finally arrived. The atmosphere was full of emotions and excitement.
- I had to withdraw from the style jumping because of my foot.
- In the timed jumping I knocked down an obstacle.
- But the dressage performance went perfectly.
My self-choreographed freestyle earned me fifth place in the final and the title of Vice Champion in Hobby Horsing Dressage. I missed first place by just two tenths of a point.
What I Learned
This championship taught me that hard work and perseverance really pay off. Even when obstacles like injuries or doubts appear, you should never lose sight of your goals.
If you have questions about training, qualification, or the disciplines of dressage, style jumping or timed jumping, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram: @kht.galaxyy.
