Imagine this: You just got home from school, and drop your backpack on the floor. Bad day, good day, it doesn't really matter. You're focused on one thing — riding your horse. You go out back to your stables, and give your horse a few pats on the nose. Feed him, put his saddle on. Then, you're off. You sprint through the woods, the late-afternoon sun crashing through the trees. You suck in some of the air gushing past you, smelling moss and churned earth. Your horse is sturdy beneath you, trained well. Whatever happened earlier in your day doesn't matter, nor does what comes next.
For a community of young Finnish girls and women, this is their everyday reality, with one small difference. Instead of a live horse, they ride a hobbyhorse, and instead of a well-trained animal carrying them, it's their own legs they sprint on.
Hobbyhorse riding and competitions are a growing subculture among teenage girls in Finland, in which enthusiasts make, care for, and, of course, ride their make-believe horses. The horses — stuffed heads on a long pole — are painstakingly looked after, with some residing in their own makeshift stables.
While many girls find refuge in their hobbyhorse community, it's not without struggle. Like so-called “horse girls” in the United States, hobbyhorse enthusiasts are subject to ridicule, and some keep their passion a secret. But the freedom and happiness they find in mounting their horse and taking off — not to mention the growing community of likeminded girls — is the antidote to any backlash.
Here, photographer Bego Antón captures a group of girls at a hobbyhorse summer camp in her photo series “The Gallop.” In Bego's words, the girls “fuse fantasy with athletics while the lower part of their body imitates the movements of a horse and the upper part acts like a jockey.” The photos show the beauty, freedom, and power of hobbyhorses and their riders.
During the summer many girls attend summer camps around Finland where they can improve their dressage and jumping skills.
Julia, pictured here, started doing hobbyhorse when she was 9. For her, doing hobbyhorse is a lifestyle.
For days, they gather together and strengthen their bond with the other girls.
Girls compete all around Finland in different categories, where they win ribbons and trophies.
Unlike other sports, it is the hobbyist themselves who organize everything, from the competitions to the creation of the horses.
Some of the girls treat their horses in a realistic way, and they also have their personality in mind when they ride them.
Ainu takes her horses out of the stable every day and feed them. In winter she makes sure they are warm putting a blanket on them. Many girls make their own accessories such as bridles or blankets, and they have a different one for each of their horses.
The girls give their horses a name and a breed. And many other give them a personality as well. Pictured here is Selu.
Annika’s horse, Fiia, is a Shetland pony. She’s a bit lazy but, when she feels comfortable, can get energetic, especially during winter. She is cozy and can be annoying sometimes.
Many of the girls own their own stable in their garden where they keep their horses.
That stable is usually locked to prevent children in the neighborhood from breaking in.
Ainu has a realistic relationship with her hobbyhorses. She owns 10 that she feeds everyday, and another 4 leasing hobbyhorses. When her friends do not use their horses any more or are away on holidays, she takes care of them. She also has a shared horse with a friend in Tampere, which is half of the year at her stable and other half at her friend's.
For years, this practice of the Finnish subculture has been considered a secret community subjected to stigma and bullying. Many of the girls lead a double life where their practice is a big secret they don’t like to share. Ada, pictured here, is one of the best known girls in the hobbyhorse community. Now 21, she organizes competitions and camps. She has never been scared of showing others about her hobby.
Julia's classmates saw her training once and insulted her. But one day she realized she shouldn't worry about what others think.
Despite the stigma it can carry, belonging to this community makes many girls feel safe at a delicate time in their lives when they are forming their identity.
Julia has ridden horses all her life.
She is not really opened about her hobby because she is scared of others calling her names, even if she knows nobody will physically hurt her.
She is surprised that hobbyhorse is not considered a sport, but a game: “People think we ride on pink unicorns they sell in supermarkets,” she says.
It’s the girl themselves who make the hobbyhorses. Here, Jenna is shown after a swim in the lake with a borrowed hobbyhorse from summer camp.
Girls usually swim with her horses in the Finnish lakes.
Julia prefers a heavier horse when jumping to help her control her movement. The jump record is 1.41 meters.
There are many makers and styles of horses, and the price of the horses can reach
600 €. Heta's (15) grandmother made her and her cousin their first hobbyhorse so they could practice when they started riding real horses.
Sofia is a hobbyhorses enthusiast. In the picture, she poses with a horse borrowed from summer camp after swimming in the lake.
Sofia practices some jumps during a training evening with her friends.
Hobbyhorses at a summer camp rest in between lessons.
For Nekku (15), the word that describes what hobbyhorses means to her is happiness. In the picture, she is practicing some dressage movements.
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