Hobby Horses for Adults: Why Grown-Ups Ride, and Which Horse to Choose

Type "hobby horse for adults" into a search engine and half the results assume you are buying for a child. You are not. Adults ride, train and compete in hobby horsing in growing numbers, senior classes are standard at most shows, and the adult division is the fastest-growing part of the sport. Here is what adult hobby horsing actually looks like, and how to choose a horse that is built for a grown-up.

Who rides as an adult

Three groups, mostly. Former riders who grew up with real horses and no longer have the time, money or back for one: hobby horsing gives them the dressage tests and the jumping courses without the livery bill. Riders who started young and kept going: the Finnish pioneers of the early 2010s are now in their late twenties, and many still compete. And adults who came for the fitness: a jumping course at 80 cm, carried with a stick between your legs, is interval training with a story attached.

Parents make a fourth group. Plenty of adults own a horse because their child does, and end up entering the open class at the same show. Nobody finds this strange at a hobby horse event.

Is hobby horsing a real workout?

Yes, and more than it looks. A show jumping round is 60 to 90 seconds of running, jumping and landing, repeated across the day. Dressage is slower but demands core control, balance and coordination: holding a horse steady at a canter while riding an accurate 20-metre circle is harder than it sounds. Riders who train seriously do sprint work, plyometrics and core sessions, exactly like other jumping athletes.

Discipline	What it asks of an adult body	Comparable to
Show jumping	Explosive legs, landing control, sprint endurance	Hurdles, plyometrics
Dressage	Core stability, rhythm, precise footwork	Dance, Pilates
Freestyle	Choreography, expression, cardio over 3–4 minutes	Floor routine, dance
Cross country	Running over varied ground with obstacles	Trail running

How adult classes work

Most rulebooks split riders by age, with a senior or open class for 18 and over. Adults ride the same courses and tests as juniors, on the same rules: four faults for a knockdown, dressage scored out of ten per movement, freestyle judged on technique and artistry. Fence heights in adult jumping classes tend to be higher, and the top of the sport at 100–130 cm is largely adult.

At the first European Championship in Prague in 2026, the open class was one of the largest on the schedule. The US championships list senior divisions in jumping and dressage. If you are wondering whether you will be the only adult at a show: you will not.

Which hobby horse suits an adult

The horse itself does not care how old the rider is, but proportions and weight matter more for adults than for children.

• Head size. A tiny A4 head on a tall adult looks and feels toy-like. A class M head (roughly 33–37 cm long) or an A3 head reads correctly against an adult frame, especially in dressage where the judge sees the picture from the side.
• Stick length. Held loosely, the stick should reach the hip. For most adults that is 75 to 100 cm. A short stick forces a stoop that ruins the dressage outline.
• Firm stuffing. Adult jumping puts real force through the neck seam on landing. A soft head folds; a firm one holds its outline.
• A real bridle. Adults tend to compete in dressage and showmanship, where tack is judged. Buckles, a browband and a noseband, not a printed strap.
• A breed you actually like. Adults name their horses as much as children do. The Friesian, the dapple grey and the Lipizzan are the adult favourites in our range, for the presence they bring to a dressage arena.

Our horses are 74 cm overall with a head of about 35 × 23 cm, which puts them in class M: the size most adult competitors use for jumping, and a good compromise for dressage. Riders over 180 cm who focus purely on dressage sometimes prefer a larger A3 head; for everything else, M is the standard.

Getting started as an adult

1. Learn the three gaits first. Walk, trot and canter with correct footfalls, before any fence. Adults who skip this build habits that take months to fix.
2. Find a club or an online group. Most national associations list adult-friendly clubs; social media groups organise informal training days.
3. Enter one class below your level at your first show. A clean round in a 40 cm class teaches more than a stop at 80.
4. Warm up like an athlete. Cold calves are the main cause of refusals, pulled muscles and lost rounds.
5. Film yourself. A phone video shows what the judge sees: a bouncing head, a crooked approach, a late transition.

Adults in the hobby horse community

Adults also run the sport. They judge, organise shows, write the rulebooks, make horses and coach. The International Hobbyhorse Federation and most national bodies are led by riders in their twenties and thirties. Buying a horse as an adult is, in that sense, the least unusual thing you can do in hobby horsing.