For one day, Prague became the heart of European Hobby Horsing. Almost the entire European community gathered in the capital to launch the very first European Championship together. And of course, we couldn't miss it!
Where and when the championship took place
The first-ever European Hobby Horse Championship was held on Saturday, 6 June 2026 at the Královka sports hall in Prague. The whole event is run by the International Hobbyhorse Federation (IHHF), which oversees Hobby Horsing at international level, in close cooperation with the Czech Hobby Horsing Association (ČHHA). And it was no ordinary competition: over a single day, athletes battled for European titles, as well as in open classes that anyone could enter.
Who took part
The numbers speak for themselves: 243 athletes from 11 countries and more than 700 starts in a single day. The arena brought together the team colours of clubs and associations from all over Europe. Among the biggest were the German DtHHV and GHHA, the Czech ČHHA and the Finnish SKHH, and representatives of the American USHHC even came across the ocean to watch. For us personally, it was a bit of a reunion too: we finally got to meet in person the clubs and associations we have supported since the very beginnings of LarDen and with whom we are otherwise mostly in touch from a distance.
The competition classes
So what was actually being contested? European titles were awarded in the European Competition Classes, across four disciplines: show jumping, high jump, dressage and Western Trail. Each one had an Open and a Junior category, so eight sets of European medals were up for grabs. But even those who hadn't qualified could still take part. The programme also included the International Open Competition Classes, which were open to everyone.
Qualifying for the European classes
Earning a start in a European class was no simple matter. There were two routes: nomination by an IHHF member organisation, or official video qualification. Each association could send a maximum of two athletes per class.
It was fascinating to see how differently the individual countries approached their nominations. The German DtHHV split its selection into several steps: from a video application through a nomination trial and inclusion in the European Championship squad, to joint training sessions and a final nomination based on performance. The Czech ČHHA went with its own qualifying competitions in Prague and Brno, where show jumping was decided by placing and time, dressage and Western Trail by the judges' scores, and the high jump by the greatest height cleared.
How the day unfolded
It was clear from early morning that this would be a big day. Registration was possible the day before, yet queues were already forming outside the hall from seven in the morning. At eight, the hall fell silent for the opening ceremony: a short Hobby Horse show and the flags of all the participating nations. Then it all kicked off. The European classes opened with dressage, followed by show jumping and the high jump, and the day closed with the western disciplines.
The dressage tests were given a 7-minute time limit, which tested even the most experienced athletes to the limit. And the highlight of the day? The high jump, without a doubt. Nikola Hájková managed to clear an incredible 153 cm. At the same time, it was possible to compete in the open classes, so everyone could join in.
And the supporting programme? There was always something going on. In our generous raffle, prizes from our sports collection were up for grabs: a sports bag, jumps, and even a size-M Hobby Horse. In the shopping zone, as one of the championship's partners, we had our own stand where you could take a close look at more unique pieces from our limited collection. And anyone who wanted an extra memento headed to the photo booth with its 360° video spin.
The European champions
And now for the main event. The greatest attention of the whole day went to the classes that decided the European champion titles. Here is an overview of all the medallists:
| Class | Winner | Hobby horse | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Freestyle – Dressage Grand Prix | Alisa Aarniomäki | W Miss Fortune | |
| Junior Freestyle – Dressage Grand Prix | Adriana Sprössig | Oscar | |
| Junior – Show Jumping 90 cm | Viktorie Horáková | Dreams | |
| Open – Show Jumping 110 cm | Max Gohde | Chili | |
| Junior – High Jumping | Barbora Kunešová | Dolly | |
| Open – High Jumping | Nikola Hájková | Ellie | |
| Junior – Western Trail Level 2 | Luisa Kunze | Lewin | |
| Open – Western Trail Level 3 | Natálie Fabianová | Amadeus von de lusso |
Thank you
Finally, a huge thank-you goes to everyone who was part of the championship - above all the IHHF and ČHHA, who organised and oversaw the entire event. Thank you, too, to all the competitors, judges, helpers, parents and spectators. For us, the European Hobby Horse Championship in Prague was not just a competition, but above all a gathering of the people with whom we have spent several years building Hobby Horsing as a sport across the whole of Europe. Thanks to you it has come this far, and thanks to you such a wonderful community is growing around it. And if there is one thing we know for sure, it is that this was only the beginning.
