Children in the 18th century used stick-horses (sometimes called “hobby horses”) to engage in pretend-play for many equestrian scenarios. These toys could be as simple as a stick or a walking-stick repurposed for romping around, but wealthier children might also be given more elaborate hobby horses — not just with the horse’s head on a stick, but perhaps its chest and forelegs too,

Medieval children played with stick-horses while carrying pinwheels or scopperels like lances for jousting knights. While similar pinwheels and toy windmills existed in the 18th century, the toys held by hobby-horse-riders are more like small whips, perhaps made for playing with spinning tops.