Vintage and Classic Rocking Horses
Add authentic pieces to your home with vintage and classic rocking horses. When choosing whether or not to buy a new or vintage rocking horse, you’ll need to consider which aspects are most important to you.
Older rocking horses were made with much superior carving quality; however, they may have blemishes or marks on the surface. Part of the charm of older, vintage rocking horses is the condition, from patinations to gesso cracks.
Size
Generally larger horses cost more, so this may be something to bear in mind when browsing. If you have limited space, you may prefer smaller nursery horses, but if you want to use the rocking horse as a statement piece, look for a larger horse and set its own space or room aside.
If you’re buying for children look for a horse that is around 40” high or above, as this is a suitable height for most children.
Restored or Original?
An alternative to buying a new horse is buying an older horse that has been restored. Structurally, the quality of vintage horses is usually great anyway, but restorations needed may include repainting and resetting.
The life expectancy of natural horsehair that is used in the mane and tail is usually up to 20 years, so giving an old horse a new mane and tail can give it a new lease of life without affecting its appearance and character.
Swing or Rocker Stand?
The oldest and more traditional models were made with a swinging stand, which are beautiful with more classic looking; however, they are often more difficult to ride and move over the floors surface, which can cause damage. They are easier to tip over and take up more space in a room.
The rocker stand or ’Marqua’ began to take over from 1880s as they were more practical. They have a squared stand, which rocks in a different way.