“Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross to see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes.”
– traditional nursery rhyme
The cock horse, more commonly known as the hobby horse, has been around since at least the 16th century. It’s usually a straight stick with a horse head made of wood or stuffed fabric, sometimes with a wheel on the bottom end. The “rider” holds it between their legs and pretends to be a horse or riding one.
Many — probably most — horse-crazy kids had a hobby horse sometime during their childhood. I fondly remember galloping around my back yard, jumping makeshift obstacles with the wooden hobby horse my dad had made for me. Its name was Tonka and it was my most cherished toy for many years.