Hobby horse

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For other uses, see Hobby horse (disambiguation).

A hobby-horse is a child's toy horse popular during the days before cars. Just as children today will imitate the grown-ups driving cars so, in former times, the children played at riding up and down on a wooden hobby-horse.

Origin of term

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Hobby (Hob"by Hob"by*horse`) n. [OE. hobin a nag, OF. hobin hobby; cf. hober to stir, move; prob. of German or Scand. origin; cf. Dan. hoppe a mare, dial. Sw. hoppa; perh. akin to E. hop to jump.]

1. A strong, active horse, of a middle size, said to have been originally from Ireland; an ambling nag. Johnson.

Hoblers or Hovellers. Men who keep a light nag that they may give instant information of threatened invasion, or ugly customers at sea. (Old French, hober, to move up and down; our hobby, q.v.) In mediæval times hoblers were like the German uhlands. Their duties were to reconnoitre, to carry intelligence, to harass stragglers, to act as spies, to intercept convoys, and to pursue fugitives. Spelman derives the word from hobby.

"Hobblers were another description of cavalry more lightly armed, and taken from the class of men rated at 15 pounds and upwards." - Lingard: History of England, vol. iv. chap. ii. p. 116.

The Border horses, called hobblers or hobbys, were small and active, and trained to cross the most difficult and boggy country, "and to get over where our footmen could scarce dare to follow." - George MacDonald Fraser: The Steel Bonnets, The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers.

A major pastime of Henry VIII was that of horse racing and in those days, horses were known as hobbies. The term hobby then became to be associated with any pastime.

Other meanings

The red 'obby 'oss capturing a passing maiden during the Mayday festival.

A larger hobby-horse is also a feature of Mummers Plays and the Morris dance in the British Isles. It is not always a riding-stick like the child's toy; it is more often a billowing cape with a mask on the front. The most famous mumming hobby horse is the 'Obby Oss' of Padstow. By extension, a hobby-horse is also an obsession of which a person won't let go. For instance, if a person keeps on and on about income taxes being too high someone might say "oh, he's off on his hobby-horse again..."

A further use of the term hobby-horse is in reference to the draisine or dandy-horse invented by Baron Karl von Drais, the direct forerunner of the bicycle.

Hobby horse

Origin of term

Other meanings

See also