Giddyup....

Day 36

The “rocking horse” is a child's toy, usually shaped like a horse and mounted on rockers similar to a rocking chair.Predecessors of the rocking horse may be seen in the rocking cradle, the tilting seats used during the Middle Ages for jousting practice as well as the wheeled hobby horse. The toy in its current form did not appear before the 17th century, though some conflicting sources note medieval manuscripts including references to carved rocking horses, presumably of the toy kind.

From the 19th century onward rocking horses became more commonly considered as child's toy. Mostly built by hobby woodcrafters, and ranging from relatively crude to finely ornamented, it was not until the late 19th century that the production became industrialized.

What is often unknown is the “rocking horse” was modeled after the “Equus Rubusto”  or “wooden horse”, that roamed wild in northern Europe and became extinct around 1500 A.D. Named for its rough, oak like exterior, and ability to camouflage with surrounding trees, the animal, though small in size, numbered in the hundreds of thousands before it became popular as a child’s pet. Overgrazing by sheep and cattle, along with the unmonitored capture and sale of these animals led to their extinction.