Hobby horse
Category
Household and miscellaneous
Date
1800 - 1899
Materials
Horsehair, Horse-hair, Wood
Measurements
248 cm (l)48 cm (w)
Order this imageCollection
Chastleton House, Oxfordshire
NT 1430313
Caption
There are several hobby horses and rocking horses in the National Trust’s collections, but at almost 2.5 metres long this one is unique. Wooden stick horses have been used as children’s toys for centuries. They are usually made of a pole or plank with a fabric or painted horse’s head attached to one end. Some versions had a seat or, like this one, wheels. The ‘rider’ sat astride the stick and raised the horse’s head using handles or reins. This curious contraption may be a homemade joke, with a carved rocking horse’s head and wheels playfully added to an extra-long wooden ‘body’. A 20th-century inventory describes it as a Victorian hobby horse for several children. It is not known whether the horse was at Chastleton House in the 19th century, when it was home to the Whitmore family and their seven children. It now stands proudly in the 22-metre Long Gallery, which was once used for indoor exercise. Visitors are invited to guess how many children could ride it at any one time.
Summary
A late 19th century wheeled hobby horse. Long plank frame on two post supports with a pair of wheels (front one missing). Carved and painted head; horsehair tail.