Hobby Horses have been played with by children forever as far as we can see. Historically they appealed to younger children who would ride them around the garden as if they were real horses.
Fast forward to the last decade when TikTok and YouTube have let our teenagers know that there are older kids and young adults in Finland and Poland and America and Australia riding hand made hobby horses in competitions doing show jumping and dressage.
It’s possible to import handmade hobby horses to the UK from International sellers, mainly in Europe, but the import taxes and delivery costs can be high as are the cost of the horses.
It can take a full day to make a hobby horse. Sometimes as much as 12 hours solid. Then there is the cost of the materials. They are not cheap to make and therefore not cheap to buy.
Here at Hobby Horse Adventures, we have found the top 4 Handmade Hobby Horse sellers in the UK.
Shellys Handmade Hobby Horses
Laurel Designs
Buckberry Horses
MyHobbyYourHorse
They have all agreed we can take their horses to our hobby horse competitions for our competitors to feel, touch and hold before deciding on such a personal purchase.
We price match their prices so you get the same deal from us as you would direct from the seller (taking delivery costs into account).
We display the hobby horses in our online shop if you wish to pre-book a horse to be collected from our Hobby Horse Competition in your local area.
At the events, all the horses are displayed for all to see. They prove popular and irresistible!! Quite a few go home with staff and staff children!
We have a price point for all from £40 – £195. Custom-made horses cost more and can be booked directly with the seller or via us.
Buckberry Horses are committed to providing affordable handmade hobby horses at a reasonable rate despite them still being beautifully handmade and crafted with care by her and her daughter. We are very grateful that she does this for the children and her horses are very popular at our events. We look forward to her signature range coming out soon!
Shellys horses are stunning and we fall in love with every colour she makes, which requires so much extra time from her to sew the different pieces together. My daughter’s bedroom is full of Shellys horses that we bought for birthdays and Christmas presents.
Laurel Designs are the most well-known in the UK through word of mouth and usually have a distinctive fake fur mane that feels so soft to the touch and the skin of the horses feels like soft suede. The realistic painted leather eyes are very recognisable as a trade mark of Laurel Designs Hobby Horses. We are all in love with the Chestnut that looks so like our family pony.
MyHobbyYourHorse started Hobby Horse making as a favour to a friend for her children and then saw how popular the horses were. With a unique style, her Hobby Horses come in many different colours and we hope to have a wide range at our events going forward.
Hobby Horses are not just for children. I love all our horses and I handle them with such care while they are under my guardianship. I literally wash my hands before I touch them and whilst the children are allowed to stroke them and feel the weight they cannot ride them or test them over jumps as we keep them perfect for their new owners.
We hope you enjoy our hobby horses 🐴
(Any sellers out there or craftspeople who would like to make for us or sell us Hobby Horses please get in touch).