The rocking horse and its larger cousin, the carousel horse have been entertaining children (and adults) for ages.
Some sources say that the rocking horse first made its appearance in the 17th century, possibly as a tool to begin to teach young children how to ride. It wasn’t until two centuries later, during the Victorian era, that rocking horses became the toy of young aristocrats.
Others theorize that the concept of the rocking horse began much earlier and during the Middle Ages. Knights in training would often construct horses to practice jousting and other skills. Of course, the children of that era would want to emulate their heroes on horseback, and it’s possible that smaller versions of the knights’ contraptions might have been toys.
Queen Victoria was the woman responsible for making the rocking horse famous. She had given her children dapple-gray rocking horses. Once the rocking horse obtained the young royal seal of approval, everyone had to have a dapple-gray rocking horse. At first, only the wealthy could afford these state-of-the-art toys. They were hand crafted in small numbers until the industrial age hit and mass production made the rocking horse available to the public.
Up until 1880, rocking horses were mounted on a pair of bowed slabs of wood like a rocking chair. During this period, Philip Marqua of Cincinnati invented the “safety stand”. The safety stand works on the same principle as a gliding rocker. The wooden horse is set on a stand that stays in one place while the safety swing mounted to the frame provides the rocking motion. Overall, the safety stand offered far more stability and appealed to safety-conscious parents. These days, both options are offered on the market. For most people the elegance of a traditional bowed rocker is still part of the attraction of a rocking horse.
Rocking horses can be as simple as a few flat boards and some stain or as ornate and beautiful as a carousel horse. Some rocking horses have real saddles too. If you’re handy in the workshop, you can make your own rocking horse. There are sites on the internet that offer plans and instructions. This could be a fun project for you and your child to work on together. You can make your rocking horse as fanciful or as simple as you like. In fact, the “rocking horse” doesn’t have to be a horse at all. Some rockers look like swans, unicorns, cars, and motorcycles!
Whether you buy a rocking horse or make one yourself, the rocking horse will no doubt become a cherished heirloom of your child. While your child is young, he or she will spend hours playing on the horse, stretching imagination and going on wild adventures. As children grow older, rocking horses remind them of fond childhood memories. Eventually, when children have children of their own, the rocking horse passes down to the next generation to begin the cycle all over again.
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