People of a certain generation will never forget the haunting quality of the Black Beauty theme tune. Or the words to the nursery rhyme Ride a Cock Horse, which beat like hooves on a road. The link between horses and childhood has been forged over centuries, but the most memorable homage to the horse for children must be the wooden rocking horse.

Over the centuries, children of all ages have played with toy horses. Indeed, horse-play was given the royal seal of approval by King James I who told his son that, 'The honourablest and most commendable games that ye can use are games on horseback'. In a time when the ability to ride was almost as essential as the ability to walk, boys in particular were positively encouraged to mimic the every day roles they witnessed between adults and horses. Thus children, especially older boys, were often found pretending to plough, hunt or ride to war. Nor did younger children miss out. Parents throughout history have used whatever they had to hand - straw, clay, wood - to create realistic models to entertain their children.

The hobby horse was probably the first example of a rideable horse. Easy to create using a long straight stick or broom handle, it soon galloped into childhood imaginations. More sophisticated versions included the addition of carved and painted wooden heads along with wheels.

It has long been thought that the hobby horse, and its widespread appeal pre-seventeenth century, was instrumental in the development of the rocking horse around this time. But the rocking horse also owes much to two other distinct sources. In the middle ages, jousters practised their art using a pull along tilting seat which many believe may have provide a blue print for the rocking horse too. Then there's the cradle, infants and children have always been soothed by its gentle rocking motion and the perhaps the rocking horse sought to capitalise on this, encouraging energetic, imaginative play but in a controlled way.

It's probable that the first rocking horse was made in Germany, indeed the oldest surviving example of this type of rocking horse was owned by King Charles I. Its basic construction, essentially a seat surrounded by two flat wooden planks joined with a neck and carved head, made it the model for rocking horse manufacture well into the 19th century. It provided a cost-effective alternative to its more elaborate Victorian counterpart.

Nevertheless the appeal of the Victorian wooden rocking horse has outlasted every other and continues to do so today. An elegant piece of furniture in its own right, at home wherever it's placed, the wooden rocking horse has recently begun to enjoy something of a renaissance. Hand carved, reproduction rocking horses, crafted from exotic woods with burnished veneers, are sought after items in today's modern homes, with buyers finding a wealth of choice online.

Now sought after by the design-conscious as much as by parents for children. Online retailers like Renshawjones are committed to keeping the tradition of high quality, hand carved reproduction rocking horses in the Victorian style.

Posted under childrens toys