Toy Horses

Toys horses, in various forms and made from many materials, have been around for several thousand years. Often they closely resembled their real counterparts and the work that they performed, and they were usually for boys. Toy horses encouraged imitative play, teaching children adult skills for the future, riding being an essential skill for the male sex. Boys would mimic their fathers riding into war, or hunting, or driving. This is illustrated by the words James I of England wrote to his young son: 'the honourablest and most commendable games that ye can use are games on horseback'.

The earliest type of 'rideable' horse was the hobby horse which has appeared in illustrations in Europe since the 15th century. In its simplest form the hobby horse could be a plain straight stick. However, more complex designs developed, with carved heads, wheels attached to the bottom of the stick, or even covers to hide the riders' legs. They were generally toys for older children who could run around.

The rocking horse was a later development; no references have been found to this toy before the 17th century. The idea of the rocking horse evolved from three main sources: the traditional rocking cradle, the pull-along tilting seat used in the middle ages for jousting practice, and the wheeled hobby horse.

The first rocking horse was very different in appearance from our usual notions of the toy. It consisted of two flat boat-shaped planks bridged by a seat, in front of which was a carved equine head and neck. A tail may have been attached and sometimes two foot rests were placed on the shoulder. The earliest surviving example is the horse thought to have belonged to King Charles I. This method of construction was simple as it avoided the difficulties of carving the horses' legs, and because of its practicality it continued into the 19th century as a design for cheaper horses. Sometimes the solid sides were painted with the lower body and legs of the horse, or with folk patterns, or a scene as if viewed through the horses' legs. This type of horse was usual in Germany, while the English preferred the fully carved type.

As the toy gained in popularity and advances were made in cabinet making, the legs of rocking horses began to be carved in round. The head and body were often made of pine and the legs of the stronger beech wood. At first these horses were rather heavy in structure, although gradually they became more elegant, standing on slender carved rockers with tapering ends. This reflected the changes in the real world as faster and lighter horses were needed for artillery, and in the mid-17th century Arabian stallions were imported into England and hunting became a popular pastime. Rocking horses had also evolved into spirited racing steeds with lowered heads and outstretched legs. These horses were effective training devices as the young rider could easily be thrown if not riding correctly.

The basic structure of the rocking horse was wood, carved in several pieces and then pegged together before being covered with a thin layer of plaster called gesso. The paintwork usually represented a dappled grey, although animal skins, often deer or calf, were also used as a covering. The rockers were often painted green to resemble grass, and the horses' features were usually painted, although glass eyes were sometimes inserted into the heads. Saddles and bridles of leather had metal bits and stirrups so that the child could accustom himself to the riding position. Manes and tails were frequently made of real horse hair which was cheaper and more realistic than carving.

In the 19th century the increase in trade and traffic led to a greater demand for more horses to carry and distribute goods to and from towns and railway stations. As wealth increased, more horses were kept for pleasure and as a result, a greater diversity of horse breeds developed. Similarly, in the toy horse world there was an ever-growing range of models as the rapid expansion of the toy trade meant manufacturers were constantly looking for new ideas. In London in 1877 there were eleven different makers of rocking horses, for these had become standard items of nursery equipment. Photographic studios often posed children, rich and poor, with rocking horses, and illustrations of the toy abounded, for example, accompanying the nursery rhyme Ride a Cock Horse, the original 'horse' having been an adult's knee.

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes

New designs of rocking horses were also developed in this period. Basket or wooden seats could be attached to each end of the rockers, or the rockers could be detachable so that the horse, mounted on a wheeled platform, could double as a pull-along toy. In the USA, Benjamin Potter Crandall and his four sons made many advances in the development of new types of 'rocking' horse, for example, a horse that bounced up and down, rather than rocking to and fro, and Jesse Crandall's 'Shoo-Fly' design of 1859 consisted of a low chair sandwiched between a pair of flat rocking horse profiles, an ideal toy for the younger child. Another major advance was made by W. A. Marqua of Cincinnati who, in the 1880s, mounted a horse on metal bars slung from a stationary stand, thus solving the problem of damage to floors caused by early rockers. These safety rockers were also made by the English firm, Dunkleys.

The velocipede was introduced in France in the mid-19th century by Monsieur Combe. These pedal-tricycle horses developed because some makers of rocking horses were also makers of wheeled chairs and carriages and so only had to combine their skills. All sorts of variations of the velocipede were made, George and Joseph Lines being one of the main British manufacturers. Their horses, bearing a metal disc stamped with a thistle, were sold at Gamage's, Hamleys and Selfridges. The 'Galloping Cig' was a contraption propelled by pedals and chain so that the horse appeared to trot as the toy moved along.

The world of the rocking horse has now almost turned a complete circle. During the First and Second World Wars trade regressed as it did not adapt easily to mechanisation. Cheaper metal horses on springs then became the norm and continued for many years. However, today the recent craft revival and its attached nostalgia has led to a return of hand-crafted horses on rockers, although modern technology has also led to the development of power models operated by money in a slot, which are found in many shops and amusement arcades. It is interesting to note that toy horses are now more popular with girls than boys - Hasbro's My Little Pony being a very popular example.