Rody Horse - History

As a child I’ve always wanted a horse, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get one for myself – well, at least not a real one. Instead, my father bought me a Rocking Horse that I still hold fond memories of.

A Rocking Horse is usually now for a child’s toy that entertains our younglings – but it was not always like that. The origins from rocking horses come probably from rocking cradles used during the middle Ages to enhance one’s practice with it; also the wheeled hobby horse comes across often as a predecessor of a Rocking Horse.

Starting in the 19th century, a rocking horse started to be more commonly remembered as a child’s toy. Mainly built by skilled woodcrafters, and going from relatively unpolished to finely ornamented. The toys of future kings were industrialized and sold to the population until the late 19th century.

A curious fact is that in 2006, the Guinness Book of World Records, registered and certified Katlinel and Les Hartness of California, for having built the largest hand-carved wood rocking horse. The rocking horse was built in 200. It measures 7 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 1,200 pounds. It can be seen at renaissance fairs, where up to 4 adults can ride it together at one time.

Now, that horse would, MAYBE, be a bit too much for your kids (unless you have 20+ kids at home) but it does captivate your mind to check out what it would feel like rocking a rody horse as big as that doesn’t it?