Owner's Guide

Eponi hobbyhorses are made for active use, but with correct care you can extend the life of your hobbyhorse, and keep it as beautiful as the day it was bought. Properly maintained, you will have a friend for life!

Keep your horse indoors or otherwise a dry place. If you leave it outdoors for extended periods of time, cover it with a blanket. Leaving it exposed to sunlight will eventually fade the colors, as with all textiles.

Hitting, squeezing, throwing, and pulling a hobbyhorse will move the stuffing, change the shape of the horse and weaken the stitching. The best place to grab and hold a hobbyhorse is by its stick. Especially avoid lifting by the ears, as it loosens the stitches and the ears might eventually come off.

While riding, it's best to use a soft hand as with riding a real horse. Pulling the reins harshly can damage the stuffing in the neck, and the head will end up drooping. When putting on tack, make sure nothing is squeezing the horse so hard the filling is damaged.

Avoid getting your horse wet. If the horse gets wet all the way through, it might start growing mold. Getting moist from small rain won't damage your horse, but getting completely wet, especially repeatedly, might make the colorings fade. If you take you horse outside and suspect rain, it's best to protect it with a blanket. If your horse gets wet, dry it carefully with a towel or paper (tap, don't rub) and let it air dry in a warm place.

A hobbyhorse is mainly cleaned with a soft brush, a dry sponge or a towel. Small dirt on the surface is best to let dry and brush off, rather than wipe it and spread it when it's wet. If cleaning is necessary, surface cleaning is a better option to submerging the entire horse in water, as a completely wet hobbyhorse is difficult to get entirely dry. Use lukewarm water and, if necessary, mild textile cleaning fluid. If the horse is so dirty it needs to be cleaned all the way through, remove the stick and filling. Wash the fabric and filling separately. Don't use a washing machine or a dryer.

Stuffing will shift over time. You can return the original shape by pressing the horse hard between your knees, or against a flat surface like a table or a floor.

Make sure the ears don't have folds, and keep the pile of the fabric smooth. Constant grooming, or using a hard brush, will eventually wear down the fabric and colorings.