The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival is excited to present the annual Hobby Horse Ride & Race!
Saturday June 20th at 2pm on Festival Lawn
Hobby Horses – also known as stick horses – are pretend horses usually made with a fabric or wood horse head attached to a stick. Riders hold the stick between their legs and pretend to ride the horse. Competitions held in Finland feature traditional show jumping obstacles or dressage riding, and we will use a similar concept (on a smaller, less competitive level!).
Saddle up for the Hobby Horse Ride!
A course with jumping obstacles will be set up on the festival lawn – participants will complete the course as fast as they can. Registration will begin Saturday June 21 at 1:00 (inside the festival) – advance registration is not required. There is no entry fee for this event, but there is a $5 fee to rent a horse (premium horse may have a higher rental rate). Bring your own Hobby Horse (stick pony) if you have one!
Visit the Vancouver Finlandia Club table in the Finland Tent for more info!
Still not sure what a hobby horse is? Check out these YouTube clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd5-qspfKtc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGnpWXtI3Q0
(Please note – these are for inspiration only and are not representative of the course at our Scandinavian Midsummer Festival!)
Post expires at 1:30am on Sunday June 21st, 2026
