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HELSINKI — Sporting a black leather jacket, dyed red hair and a tattooed arm, Alisa Aarniomaki looks like she’s on her way to a rock band rehearsal session.

But instead of carrying a guitar, the 20-year-old Finn gently holds on to something else: a puffy stuffed horse head on a wooden stick complete with glued-on eyes, mane and reins.

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She’s been riding real horses from the age of 10 but became instantly smitten by hobby-horsing — a sport with gymnastic elements that has spawned a social media subculture among Finnish teen girls — when she first heard about it on a web discussion forum several years ago.

It has helped me a great deal that I can occasionally just go galloping into the woods with my friends

“Hobby-horsing has a strong therapeutic side to it,” says Aarniomaki, adding that it has helped her to deal with difficult personal issues such as her parents’ divorce and bullying at school.

“I’ve gone through lots of trouble and I’m still struggling with some issues. It has helped me a great deal that I can occasionally just go galloping into the woods with my friends. It somehow balances my mind.”