USHHC 2025!
We are thrilled to announce that the second United States Hobby Horse Championships will be held on August 2nd in Almont, MI again this year!
IMPORTANT!! We have made changes to the registration process (more info on that will come shortly!)
See you at the championships!!
THANK YOU!!
To each and every on of you who joined us in 2024, in person and in spirit, we are extremely grateful! This magical and momentous event would not have been possible without you! The entire day was filled with fun, camaraderie, laughter, kindness, connection, and, of course, fantastic hobby horsing!
2024 Photos
For more photos, see our Photos and Media page!
A huge thank you to our sponsors for all your support!
August 10, 2024
IMPORTANT REMINDER: If you are intending to fly in for the USHHC, U.S.A. airlines require you to check your hobby horse in your luggage. Otherwise, the stick must be removed from your hh in order to be considered carry-on. Please check with your specific airline for the most up-to-date details.
Join Us!
Come Be a Part of History!
Join us in the first ever annual United States Hobby Horse Championships! Enjoy the chance to learn and share skills, to showcase your hard work and talents, and to make friends and connect with a super supportive hobby horse community!
When: August 10th, 2024
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Almont, Michigan
Cost: $5 entrance fee for the general public
Attention: Our media/press guess list is now full. Thank for all your interest and support!
--Classes--
Junior Showjumping
Jump Height:
Ages 10 and under– 1 foot
Ages 12 and up– 2 feet
Senior Showjumping
Jump Height: 2 1/2 feet
Barrel Racing
An exhilarating Western contest for the fastest time!
Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle
Upper level movements will be required!
Junior Dressage Freestyle
An elegant freestyle with fewer required movements!
Hunter/Jumper
Jump Height: 2 feet
Puissance
The thrill of high-jumping, starting at 1 foot and the sky’s the limit! Ages 10 and up!
Meet the Team
Meet the Organizers
Mackenzie
Hey guys! My name is Mackenzie and I have been hobbyhorsing for around 2 years!
I got my first real hobby horse, Peanut, for Christmas in 2022! Then, after that I bought many more and began really training. I discovered this sport while I was watching Youtube around 2 years ago! Right now I have 2 horses, Callie and Storm! (And I’m planning on buying another one soon!)
I love hobbyhorsing because it uses so much creativity and imagination to bring your hobbyhorses to life! I am sooo excited for the United States Hobby Horse Championships because I really want this sport to spread more in the USA so we can have as many competitions and events as Europeans do! Also, I think it will be super fun and exciting for everyone attending!
Mica
My obsession with hobby horses began when I saw a hobby horse in-person back in 2019. The artistry and realism blew me away, I had never seen anything like it! I spent hours watching as people soared over meter-high fences and danced to music on a hobby horse on YouTube.
I started to make hobby horses and opened my Etsy shop in August of 2020. It brings me so much happiness to bring joy to people all around the country through my hobby horses! I have now been hobby horsing for about four years and have been dreaming of having a hobby horse championship in the USA from the beginning!
I am so excited to be able to bring my love of this sport to people around the country through the United States Hobby Horse Championships; I am also really looking forward to being able to meet all those who are already into the sport! Community is a huge component of the hobby horse sport–let’s create that community here in the USA!
Mirabelle
Hi! My name is Mirabelle, and I am 13 years old . I got into hobby horsing about 3 years ago, thanks to my best friends who very sweetly made me my first one. After that, I started watching videos and teaching myself how to do it more formally! Then, in a Young Rider magazine, I saw Mica. I was so inspired by her and her hh that I messaged her on Etsy– and we became very good friends!
Now, I compete in online shows and train and ride with my many hh as well as sell ones my mom and I create with our own patterns on our Etsy shop, SoleilHobbyHorses!
It has been a dream of mine to someday go to the Finnish Hobby Horse Championships, but I’m wondering if maybe USHHC might fill that roll instead! All of us organizers of the USHHC hope to create the biggest hobby horse competition/event in the USA and we can’t wait to share it with you! I hope we can meet in person someday at the United States Hobby Horse Championships!
Peace, Love, Horses,
Mirabelle Soleil Whitman <3
Liliana
Hello! My name is Liliana, and I am 10 years old. I first got introduced to hobby-horsing when my best friends made a sock stick horse for me (and my sister) as a Christmas present. After that, my sister Mirabelle found out about hobby-horsing! Then she bought a hobby horse pattern, and with my mom, made a hobby horse for her and for me! I named my hobby horse Bob after a horse in a TV show. I now have six hobbyhorses, excluding Indra, my original sock stick horse.
I feel so honored to be helping host the first US Hobby Horse Championships and to make this event come to life! Thank you Mica, Mackenzie, and Mirabelle!! It is a big thing for me to be a part of this!
I love hobby horses, and look up to the other USHHC organizers so much. My hobby horses, Beauty, Hickory, Fritz, Rain, Bob and Indra, all are so fun to ride! I go to my hobby horses when I am sad, mad, excited, or if I simply want to kiss them goodnight! The last thing I want to say is always have faith in your hobby horse, and confidence in yourself! <3
Attention Possible Vendors!
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a vendor at the United States Hobby Horse Championships please check out the link below to learn more and apply!
More than just a sport!
Why Hobby Horsing?
Mirabelle shares why Hobby Horsing is here to stay . . .
I love so much about hobby horsing, but here are some of my favorite things about it!
- It is such a supportive community– hobby horsers are so supportive of each other, and it is amazing to be a part of this group of people who are helping the sport grow!
- There is really a place in hobby horsing for everyone– adults will often sew hobby horses, and kids, teens and adults compete in this amazing sport!
- It is the only sport I’ve seen where it isn’t all about training for or competing in competitions– sure, that’s part of it (and if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s a fabulous workout!), but you can just as well ride your hh on a trail ride or to the mailbox as compete in shows with it! I really love that about hhing, it’s a sport and a hobby all at once together!
- I also love how creative and imaginative hhing is– from creating unique horses to the fact that every one of my hh has a different personality!
- I really enjoy how hobby horsing can give a “horse” to someone who can’t own a real one at that time, so they can still have an equine to ride and love on (even in the city or places where it’s more challenging to own a real horse)!
- My hobby horses also help me with my emotions! (This might sound weird, but you’ll see!=) Whether I am angry, sad, or something else, I can go to them and they will always understand. I can cry in their mane, gallop off the anger, or just hug them, but it is always a place where I can have someone who will always understand me, and can help me like a real animal!
- Maybe most importantly, hobby horsing teaches you not to care what others think of you, but to always follow your dreams and never give up what you love!