A woman in stark white jodhpurs and a suede hat trots gracefully into the arena with a purple striped horse head on a wooden stick between her legs.

She performs a novice freestyle dressage routine to the judges as Keith Urban's Hit the Ground Runnin' booms out into the arena.

The rider, Sunshine Coast Riding for the Disabled Australia (SCRDA) operations manager Coralie Kedzlie, was competing in Australia's first ever hobby horse competition in May and is excited to be welcoming a second event to Queensland this Sunday.

The horse on the stick might not be real, but the sport definitely is. In Finland, over 10,000 athletes participate in events across the country.

Ms Kedzlie first saw the sport on Youtube videos and was sold on bringing the sport over to Australia.

She saw it was a huge hit and noted its accessibility as well as its fitness and mental health benefits.

'You can set trial courses that will suit certain people's mobility and ability," she said.

"It's affordable too, no need for a float, just chuck your horse in the back seat...that's the beautiful thing, you don't have to feed a hobby horse."

On Sunday, Sunshine Coast community equestrian centre will be filled with young and old, straddling a wooden horse while competing in a number of categories including dressage, showjumping and jumping equitation.

"It is our opportunity to show the world what we have been doing with the riding for disabled and welcome everyone to our equestrian centre," Ms Kedzlie said.

"We have just today received an entry from France so that's the start of our international competitors starting to roll in."

She said while the event is intended to be a bit of fun, each contestant will be judged to the same standards as those who compete on a real horse.

"People will ride their hobby horses as they will but (judges) will be looking for style and movement and so on and a bit of finess about it, not just gallivanting around the paddock," she said.

"You can say it is silly, but it is good fun and it is damn good exercise.

"Amazingly, if you are wanting to be a horse rider, you learn a lot about your arena skills along the way."

The SCRDA have held a range of classes to help competitors get ready for the event, which will feature a craft stall where you can make your own hobby horse.

Ms Kedzlie has been involved with SCRDA for over twenty years, working with people with a whole range of special needs including limited mobility, autism, cerebral palsy or mental health issues including anxiety and trauma.

Ms Kedzlie said there was the "odd person that thinks we are probably a bit mad" but she was excited to bring to town an accessible sport that is "only limited by your imagination".

The Sunshine Coast Mane Event is open to the public and will be held at Sunshine Coast Community Equestrian Centre at North Arms from 8.30am to 5pm.

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