Let's talk hobbyhorses

[Ladybug47]

Does your kid actually play with a hobbyhorse? Was it a good purchase? Do you have a specific brand or kind you'd recommend? Thanks in advance!

[Seitvonzu]

i'm assuming that's the same as a rocking horse? we have one and i LOVE it. my child LOVEs it. kids who come over to visit LOVE it.

that said!!!
it was a totally emotional purchase and i got fairly lucky ... DD was born 3 weeks early on the 23rd of december. a constantly overprepared sort, i actively resisted getting ANYTHING christmasy for DD because "she is going to be born in january." in my defense, the dr. told me she would NOT be an early baby...so i just thought "resist the insanity and don't buy things for christmas that you'll be returning on the 26th!!!"

on christmas eve i woke up and literally pushed DH out the door of the hospital to get DD a first christmas outfit, ornament, and to stop at pier one and GET ME THAT ROCKING HORSE I DID NOT BUY. i liked the idea of a "pony" for our little princesses first christmas-- it just seemed like it HAD TO be.

it's a very old fashioned, traditional looking rocking horse. it's a nice size and fits in our living room (traditional) well. lucy rides it frequently still (at 3.5). it's not huge-- certainly not one of those 2000 victorian looking all wood ones or anything, but it's a nice size. we've named it "macaroni." it was also 50% off on christmas eve and the day after christmas DH was able to rebuy/return for total of 75% off (so it ended up being about 30 dollars .

for 30 dollars? great investment! i'd always liked the pier one horse...and always thought that would be the rocking horse i'd want when i had kids. it was a christmas 'miracle'

[Melaine]

I thought a hobby horse was a stick horse. My kids play with those a lot, but I wish I had bought nicer ones. We were rushing to get a cowgirl costume together and bought them from the Dollar General. Both have broken. I have seen some fun stick horses on Etsy.

ETA: Looks like my definition was incorrect, the rocking horse is the real hobby horse after googling.

[PunkyBoo]

If you mean rocking horse, we don't have one. But we have a stick horse (we call that a hobby horse.) Punkin used to "ride" it all over the neighborhood when he was about 3-4, even stopping to "feed" it grass along the way. Then he sorta outgrew it and we would use it to help fetch toys that were too far under the furniture to reach. Now Boo loves it, but doesn't yet understand how to "ride" it so he just likes banging it against the walls. So I have conveniently "misplaced" it on a high, hidden shelf in the laundry room...

ETA - we just got it at Toys R Us, but that was probably 6 years ago. It's held up very well.

[Ladybug47]

I actually mean a fake horse head on a stick that you pretend to ride around. We called them "hobby horses" growing up. I'm pretty sure my mom made homemade ones for us when we were little, but I'm not nearly as crafty with a sewing machine as she is, especially with a three-dimensional horse-head!

[infocrazy]

My DS1 was VERY into horses at about 2 and LOVED his. My dad got him a hobby horse and a pair of boots for Xmas and they were used a whole lot. In fact, DS2 was given a hobby horse for his second birthday since they both loved the first one and they both used them a LOT to race around the house etc... They aren't getting as much love lately since the boys are 4 and 6 now, but they were well worth it and I expect DD to get into them soon.

My boys both were given ones from TRU and they have held up really well.

[katydid1971]

We got this one for DS when he turned 1 and it was a big hit. He played with it a lot. DD liked it too, but not as much. We passed it down to DN and its still looks new. It was a great "horse" (even though is a dog). It was very stable and even when DH's cousin's kids played on it very hard (they were about 5 at the time) it didn't tip.
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-1.../dp/B000087LI0
My mom got it at TRU but that was 5 years ago I don't know if they still carry them.