October 2025 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN 23 October 2025 lected canter: “Ideal number of steps for one complete canter pirouette is 5-7 whereas a half canter pirouette has to be ridden with 3 steps. Double canter pirouette should be done with 10-14 steps. Canter pirouette can- not be performed in counter-canter.” IHHF canter pirouettes can be one-railed (legs fol- low the same rail next to each other, so the rider goes around an imaginary point behind their back) or two- railed, (the leading leg of the canter moves in a larger circular rail than the supporting leg on a smaller circu- lar rail, close to the fixed point of the pirouette). It is up to a rider to decide which technique to ride however they must use the same technique in every canter pirou- ette during their performance. Real Talk “We know the hobby horse is not ‘real,’” says Charlotte Bodkin, 14, of New York. She and Carnegie Steel delivered an upset (68.26%) and first-ever win for the United States in Grand Prix Dressage at the 2025 USHHC Championships over veteran Finnish champi- ons, Ada Filippa and Miuccia (66.52%). “This was the first time I competed with him. I made him in July. Dressage hobbyhorses tend to be bigger in size and have a tucked head, like a real dressage horse. Blu (Carnegie Steel) weighs almost five pounds due to his size, which adds another level of difficulty to dres- sage,” she continued. “This is a competitive sport that deserves the amount of respect every other sport does. At the end of the day, some of us ride real horses. Or ride hobby- horses because we are not able to financially support real horse riding.” Charlotte, who also takes ballet and dressage lessons, says she started out jumping but was drawn to the power, endurance and skill asked for in hobby horsing dressage. “Dressage is that - in competitive hobby horsing!” The most challenging part isn’t remembering a dressage test. It’s the endurance to carry out what would otherwise be the horse’s performance. “To say it simply, you are doing active high knees for four minutes straight in a dozen forms. To build en- durance, I picked up running to enhance my cardiovascular abilities. I find running works best as it puts my body similar to how it would be in my pro- gram. Ballet classes help main- tain my flexibility and overall leg strength, and as a real life dressage rider, sitting the trot naturally develops a stable core. “The most important part of training leading up to the championships was online les- sons with my coach, Mirabelle (Whitman). In our lessons she helps me refine my gaits, gives me pointers to improve, and answers any questions.” Char- lotte chose a Star Wars theme for her Grand Prix Freestyle, entering to the theme from The Mandalorian. “I found, with my gaits, songs with heavy beats bring out the best effect!” The Queen Speaks Isabel Werth is Germany’s most decorated Olympian and unequivocal ‘Queen of Dressage,’ but it may be time to move to the quarter line so Finland’s hobby horsing ‘Queen of Dressage,’ Rosie Mulari, finds time to shine on the rail. Now 20, and among hobby horsing’s most popular international athletes and spokespeople and thanks to her signature bombshell red hair, its most recognizable. She has won over 300 hobby horsing championships, including the 2024 inaugural Grand Prix Dressage Championship in the United States, consecutive Grand Prix titles overseas, and was a Series 18 performer on Britain’s Got Talent. “I started in 2014,” Rosie says. “I’ve always had real horses and had a small competition with a lesson horse coming up. I have terrible problems with concen- trating and remembering things, so I decided to make a hobbyhorse and ride the course on my backyard. “It began as exploring, having fun, and trying new things. For me, dressage was exciting. It had various forms of creativity, linked to choreography and mu- sic that drew my attention. I wouldn’t change back to jumping.” In fact she’s only broadened her horizons. Hobby horsing offers endless possibilities in creativity. Com- petitors who start out making their own have made making hobbyhorses for others into a side gig and like any good custom saddlemaker, there are waiting lists for orders. “Normally, I take up to 40 commissions (@rawr- zieofficial) a year and make 50 horses for public sale,” Rosie says. “It takes approximately 15 hours to finish a basic horse. The most elaborate commission I’ve done was this huge Irish cob, with different coloured eyes, ears in different directions, a very long, curly black- and-white mane, and shadings all over.” At 20, Rosie has been hobby horsing for more than a de- cade. Can its competition, like its participants, mature too? “Hobby horsing is not ‘playing’ with a stick horse. Of course some people are realistic and include role-playing in their lives and that is completely fine. I treat my sport as the sport it is – the horse is just equip- ment. I would just like to encourage everyone, explore your ‘weird’ side, and don’t lie to me and say you’re ‘not weird.’ Every single one of us is, in our uniquely beautiful way. Weirdness is a gift. Reject everyone who tells you to hide your true self. “So many things in this world are going badly – people dying, sickness, and war. And somehow still the biggest issue some people see are hobbyhorses. Be kind. Be curious. Spread love.” Let hobby horsing spread the news. Get Hobby Horsing! U.S. Hobby Horsing Championships ushhchampionships.com @ushobbyhorsechampionships Hobby Horse in America Facebook Group International Hobby Horse Federation hobbyhorsefederation.com , @hobbyhorseinternational Hobby Horse Academy hobbyhorse-academy.com @hobby.horse.academy Find these USHHC teammates on Etsy: Winner Ponies (Mackenzie) etsy.com/shop/wphobbyhorses Flying High Hobby Horse (Mica) etsy.com/shop/FlyingHighHobbyHorse Soleil Hobby Horses (Mirabelle) etsy.com/shop/SoleilHobbyHorses Join 14.3K Rosie Mulari followers on IG @rawrzieofficial A thrilling USHHC Puissance included sponsored fences just like its show jumping counterparts (thank you, Breyer/Reeves International). Image credit Red Soule Studios, courtesy USHHC Hobby horsing is for everybody and boys love barrel racing. Image credit Red Soule Studios, courtesy USHHC