Exquisite Hand-Carved Hardwood Rocking Horses

Hennessy horses combine the magnificence and imaginative flare of traditional carved rocking horses with Crayne Hennessy's own sense of grace and precision. Each heirloom rocking horse is individually sculpted, hand painted and outfitted to perfection. These unique handmade works of art are a pure joy for both children and adults. For more information about ordering a custom-built personalized rocking horse, start here.

The Rocking Horse Story

Toy horses have been part of our lives since early times. Placed on wheels, pulled by string, or transformed into a stick horse to carry the imagination of the rider, toy horses have enchanted the young for three thousand years. Not only children, but adults too, delight in play horses – Socrates himself galloped about with his children on their hobbyhorse. Imitation horses have amused, yet also trained and educated, as in the Middle Ages when budding knights practiced jousting on wheeled horses and later on carousels.

The 'rockinghorse' first appeared in seventeenth-century Europe. Charles I of England had one as a boy, and his horse survives to this day. Enormously popular throughout Georgian and Victorian times in Britain, these toys also flourished in Germany and in America until the midpart of this century, when production of fine rockinghorses almost disappeared. Yet, a revival in England during the last twenty years has seen a remarkable resurgence of this historical and dearly-loved toy.

Next: Read more about what makes a Hennesy Horse so special...