Custom-Made

As a child I helped my grandfather restore our family's rocking horse William in Ireland. This passion for rocking horses continued and several years ago I was fortunate to meet a wonderful old rocking horse maker who agreed to take me on as his apprentice. Since then, he has retired and I hope to continue the tradition using the skills he taught me.

Each horse/design can be custom made to your specifications.   

There are a couple of methods used to create a rocking horse. The first process is to use solid timber. The pieces are drawn out on the slabs and the various parts of the horse are cut out. These parts are then joined together using a variety of traditional joining methods to create the horse. The timber is then further shaped and carved until a horse emerges.  

The second method of creating a rocking horse is to draw the plans on flat sheets. Theses pieces are then cut out and clamped together, giving a rough shape. This shape is then carved until the features of the horse materialize. 

The horses, once carved are meticulously sanded and the glass eyes inserted. The rocking horse can then be varnished to show the natural grain of the timber or coated in gesso in the traditional way before painting and varnishing. After varnishing the mane and tail are fitted using real horse hair. 

The saddle and bridle are made from quality leather and the saddles can be fixed or removable, depending on your preference.

Each horse is hand crafted, so each one is completely unique with its own personality. Each creation also comes with its own unique "birth certificate".