Where Did the Term ‘Hobby Horse’ Come From?

For centuries now, children have loved riding toy hobby horses. But where did the term “hobby horse” originally come from? Answer our Just-for-Fun Trivia question.

lotosfoto/Adobe Stock Images

The “hobby” in hobby horse came from the name of…

A) a 15th century toy shop.

B) a type of gentle Irish horse.

C) the toy’s inventor.

Please scroll down for the answer.

Keep scrolling.

Just a bit more…

Almost there…

(Honest! Keep going.)

ANSWER: B is correct. The “hobby” in hobby horse comes from a type of smooth-gaited Irish horse popular in England in the 1400s. These gentle mounts were known as “hobbies,” and the term became associated with the smooth-rocking children’s toy.

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[RELATED: Just how many different breeds of horse *are* there today?]

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