*Disclaimer: This article was published in The Goofly, a satire edition of The Grizzly.
Due to recent budget increases, Ursinus is one of the first colleges to welcome the new NCAA sport, Hobby Horsing. With the adaptation of new NCAA policies, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is adding the fast-growing and international phenomenon as a varsity sport. The sport, which combines sports and creativity, was invented in Finland in 2002. It has spread throughout Europe and is gaining popularity in the United States as well as other countries. With many international athletes and in the hope of drawing more, the NCAA has elected to add the European sport.
The NCAA has chosen ten division three schools on the East Coast to implement the varsity sport. These schools will compete against each other as well as compete in national competition throughout the United States. The sport is a co-ed team allowing both men and women to participate. The sport traditionally has seen the majority of the participation from women. However, there has been a strong increase of participation from men.
The sport requires a great deal of athleticism, coordination, and creativity. Athletes use a mix of running and gymnastics to complete courses and jump over obstacles. They complete the course while riding a horse head on a stick.
Hobby horses have greatly developed since the creation of the sport. The shape and weight of the horse head as well as the length and diameter of the stick have been adapted for different courses. There are three different competition categories: dressage, jumping, and western riding. Each has its own rules and scoring. It is common for athletes to own many horses. Each horse averages around $300 while athletes also have to buy lead ropes and bridles for their horses. Neither the NCAA nor the colleges will be providing horses or other necessary accessories. They must be provided by the athlete.
Ursinus’ co-ed team is led by captains Bernard Capps, ‘26 and Gilda Brown, ‘26. Capps and Brown have been dominating in the hobby horse world and are very present in the United States hobby horse community. The team is made up of ten members. They are looking for more people to expand the team and build a community on campus. Reach out to the captains with any questions or interest.
Capps has been competing in hobby horse riding since he was 13. He is a two time US hobby horse champion. Capps specializes in western riding and scores much higher than average with an average score of 90 out of 100.
“Hobby horsing is my passion. It allows me to express myself through creativity and athleticism. There is a strong stigma around the sport that I hope I can be a part of breaking. I hope the addition of it [hobby horsing] to the NCAA and to Ursinus can help others understand the beauty of the sport.”
Brown has been an avid hobby hoser since she was 4 years old. With Finnish ancestry, her parents and older sister are fierce competitors participating in international competitions. She specializes in jumping and dressage. Brown has an unique gait, walking style, that scores very favorably with judges. She competes in caprilli jumping, which focuses on style, balance, and energy. The style includes a ranging number of jumps. Dressage focuses on precision, posture, and energy with a scoring max of ten points. Brown has a history of scoring eight points and above. She competes in the Grand Prix level of dressage, which is the highest level.
Ursinus will compete in the North American Hobby Horse Series this fall. Ursinus will be building an arena that will accommodate all three competition types next to the softball field. The money has been gifted to the NCAA by the United States Hobby Horse Championship association. The arena will be complete before the next school year. Due to the generous donation, Ursinus will be one of two colleges with a competition arena. Tournaments will be split between the two schools.
As the sport is new to the NCAA, walk on and tryouts will be allowed for anyone who is eligible to play a varsity sport including being in good academic standing.
“Ursinus Hobby Horsing is excited to show our community of Bears and other colleges the talent we have. Come support your fellow Bears this fall!” Capps said.