My Little Pony

I’m linking up again this week to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm and since I think the exceptional workmanship of my thrifting find  is worthy of sharing, I’ll also be linking up later this week to Show & Tell Friday  hosted by Cindy @ My Romantic Home.

This past weekend I decided to check out a new indoor flea market that recently opened about 20 minutes from my home.  The ONLY thing I was looking for was a small  farm table since I’m still on a mission to find one for the laundry room at the house in Hooterville.

Within minutes of walking in the door, I spotted a wooden rocking horse and was completely awestruck.   I thought it was the  most beautifully crafted wood rocking horse I had ever seen.  Since I didn’t find any farm tables at the indoor flea market, I blew my farm table budget (and then some) on the rocking horse.

What can I say?  It was a completely impulsive purchase made with my heart instead of my head but I thought our horse farm would be the perfect home for him.  :)

He’s  about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide, certainly big enough for a small child to ride.  The saddle and bridle are made of  leather.  The mane and tail are real horse hair but my daughter commented she thinks he’s in desperate need of a tail extension.  (They actually do make tail extensions for real horses!)   Okay, I will agree his tail is a little on the skimpy side.  ::chuckle::

Daughter also thinks his glass eyes and open mouth make him look a little scary but many carousel horses seem to be sculpted with this same open-mouthed pose.    I almost don’t even notice his expression because I’m so fascinated and mesmerized by the painting detail and the wood grain, especially in his face.

I’d love to know if he is old or new, commercially mass produced or a one-of-a-kind piece carved by some very talented woodworking hobbyist  in his garage.  Unfortunately, there are no markings on him to help me determine his origin.  If anyone reading knows anything about this style of rocking horse, please let me know!

He looks very dwarfed sitting here on the hearth of the massive fireplace in the family room at  the house in Hooterville but that is where he will reside for now until I get furniture for this room and can determine if there is a more suitable place to showcase him.

So, although my flea market find was NOT very thrifty, I do think it is pretty nifty!  I appreciate the opportunity to show and tell about it.