| Rocking horses are a long time well loved toy to | | | | mane and leather stir ups for the feet. They were |
| millions of children. They have actually become very | | | | made in great detail and were lovingly crafted from |
| popular among collectors as well. They started out as | | | | the best woods. |
| very simple toys for early American children to play | | | | Today these magnificent toys are made in a variety |
| with. These traditional toys were brought over from | | | | of ways, still are hand crafted by specialty artisans. |
| Germany and other European countries with their | | | | There are even plastic models. |
| immigrant owners. They became an adopted | | | | Collectors |
| American tradition early on in American culture and | | | | There is a huge number of people that collect rocking |
| have never gone out of style. | | | | horses. They are loved for all the fond memories they |
| History | | | | bring to their adult collectors. Collectors will pay top |
| These unique play things originated from European | | | | dollar for the right type and year. They are often the |
| countries. They were originally toys of royalty. They | | | | top sellers at toy auctions and many times are part of |
| were constructed as very ornate replicas of the kings | | | | an estate or were once someone's family heirlooms. |
| horses. The earliest is dated back to the early fourteen | | | | Sometime surprisingly the simplest designs fetch the |
| hundreds. They were hand crafted from the best | | | | largest sums at auction. |
| materials and were very ornately decorated. They | | | | Rocking horses have never gone out of style. They |
| often were jewel encrusted and were very valuable. | | | | have always been loved by children and probably will |
| When the immigrants began arriving in the United | | | | continue to be enjoyed by children. They are low tech |
| States in the early seventeen hundreds they longed | | | | and require a certain amount of physical energy but |
| for reminders of home so they began crafting things | | | | the children do not seem to mind expending the |
| that reminded them of home. Of course the rocking | | | | energy needed to rock for hours and play great |
| horses that these peasants crafted were much less | | | | games of pretend. Every child should have a rocking |
| decorated than those of the royals, but none the less | | | | horse at one point in their childhood so they can roam |
| loved dearly. These simple rocking horses were made | | | | freely across the living room and on to the great |
| from wood and often had real horses hair for the | | | | American wide open spaces. |