More Information About Carousel Horses

Carousel horses bring smiles to the faces of young and old alike. The carousel horse enjoys a long proud history that spans the globe. Carousel horses are truly an international treasure.

In the twelfth century Arabian and Turkish horsemen would play a game called “little war”. Clay balls were filled with perfumed liquid and thrown behind the lines drawn by the horsemen. The losers of this game were easy to identify, as they would smell for days after missing a catch of a perfumed ball.

Italian and Spanish crusaders brought this game back to Europe. The game became popular in many countries including France. The French transformed the game of “little war” into a game of grand pageantry and horsemanship called “Carrousel”. The main event of “Carrousel” was the tournament of rings where advanced horsemen with a steady lance would spear small rings hung between two posts while riding at a full gallop.

In France around the 1680, someone had the inspiration to hang legless wooden horses from a center pole. Young princes would train for the tournaments by riding on these wooden horses and practice spearing small rings that hung along the outside edge of the training device as it was circled around powered by mules or servants. This is the first known version of today’s carousel.

Soon, the craftsmen of the day began to create more of these ‘training’ machines for the members of the nobility. Not long after the general population was able to mount up on the new “Carrousel”.

As carousels became increasingly popular in Europe and America the artistry of carved carousel horses began to emerge. In 1870 Frederick Savage found a way to power carousels with steam power. This lead to the increase in size and power of the carousel and to the innovation of the carousel horse mounted onto a center pole. Robert Tidman, an English amusement ride manufacturer designed the first up-and-down cranking device, giving the carousel horse its galloping motion.

This laid the foundation for today’s Carousels. The carousel horse has become an art form onto itself. Known for it grace and beauty. The Carousel has acquired many names, the most known one in the United States being the ‘Merry-Go-Round’.