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View Full Version : Let's talk hobbyhorses



Ladybug47
08-15-2011, 10:26 AM
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
08-15-2011, 02:42 PM
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
08-15-2011, 03:11 PM
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
08-15-2011, 04:33 PM
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. :love5: Then he sorta outgrew it and we would use it to help fetch toys that were too far under the furniture to reach. :ROTFLMAO: 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
08-15-2011, 10:06 PM
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
08-15-2011, 10:22 PM
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
08-15-2011, 10:42 PM
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-1618-Rocking-Puppy/dp/B000087LI0
My mom got it at TRU but that was 5 years ago I don't know if they still carry them.