Manor House Rocking Horses

24/12/2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! 🎄🥂🎠

19/09/2025

Three beautiful but different FH Ayres horses that I’ve had the pleasure of painting this summer, all beautifully prepped by their owner. What a treat to work on these gorgeous “blank canvases”. Do get in touch if you have a horse in need of dappling and antiquing 🩶

12/07/2025

A lovely couple of days dappling and meeting lovely people at Rix & Co’s gorgeous workshop in Sudbury, Derbyshire 🖌️🎨

06/07/2025

Anyone want to join us next week?

01/06/2025

How lucky was I to be asked to paint this beautiful FH Ayres D- type rocking horse. These were top of the range horses with realistic carving and sold in Harrods and other high end stores in the 1930s. It arrived beautifully prepared so it was a privilege to get straight on to the fun part.

05/05/2025

This chap was something fun and a little bit different to work on. This spotty little character is a Polychrome push horse made by Baby Carriages in the 20’s or 30s. I’ve added a photo of his big brother rocking horse for comparison. They are thought to have been made for cruise ship nurseries. He had been partially overpainted and filled with what looked like cement and was missing a couple of spots but had a charm of his own with his worn paintwork. Hopefully he’s looking a little more like his old self and is looking forward to being reunited with his wheels soon.

15/04/2025

Can’t wait to be back at Sudbury for some dappling fun this summer!

12/04/2025

Not another green horse?! Two in a row! Doesn’t want to budge either 😖

10/04/2025

My little Size 0 Lines 21 is finally done! It has been waiting since 2022 for its turn. When I took off the old tack I discovered a beautiful old pyjama case used as saddle padding which contained this Rimmel card/label. No idea of the date but quite possibly older than the horse. Maybe I will call her Rosie although mine are usually boys!
She stands just 27” high to ears by 30” long (stand). Sadly no original paint remained under the many layers including bottle green! The stand had no less than 4 coats of paint and was an utter 🐷to strip!

26/02/2025

Just back from demonstrating traditional dappling and antiquing at the fantastic Rix & Co Rocking Horse Maker and Restorer’s beautiful workshop on the Sudbury estate. The best two days meeting fellow rocking horse enthusiasts and lovely people with a shared passion.
Pete Rix runs lots of courses throughout the year from basic woodcarving to carving a whole rocking horse in a picturesque setting right next to Sudbury Hall on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. See his page for details.

13/01/2025

Come to Sudbury Hall Courtyard to learn how to dapple your traditional rocking horse with me and the Rix & Co crew. Lots of fun to be had! 🖌️

**2 Spaces Left - Book Now 24th, 25th Feb** Hey there, folks! Get ready to saddle up for another unforgettable workshop experience because we've got something truly special lined up! 🐎 We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Susan Williams back to the workshop for another materclass in dappling. Whether you're a seasoned hobbyist or just starting out, this workshop is tailor-made for anyone eager to dive into the art of decorating and restoring these timeless treasures. Don't have a trusty steed of your own yet? No worries at all! We've got plenty of rocking horses waiting to be spruced up, so you can hone your craft and unleash your creativity. And hey, if you've already got a prized pony gathering dust in the corner, bring it along! The more, the merrier!

Susan originally studied graphic design specialising in illustration. Whilst doing her degree at art college in the eighties she bought her first rocking horse. Determined to find out how it would have looked originally without the aid of the internet she started researching and soon became hooked! After restoring her first horse Susan became a collector and restorer, approved by the V&A Museum. She has a large collection of antique rocking horses herself and is very busy restoring and painting horses of all ages, shapes and sizes for clients here and abroad.

Susan will show you how to dapple your horse in the traditional style on day one followed on day two on how to finish it either with an antique finish or looking as it would when it left the factory.

Book now: https://www.woodcarversstudio.com/product-page/dappling

02/01/2025

I was delighted to receive these beautiful photos of a little Collinson push horse that was a surprise Christmas present for the lovely lady who bought the original paint Sportiboy that I restored last summer. I had owned the little “Colli” for about 30 years having bought him with only 3 wheels, three legs and no nose (fill in the punchline! 😉).
Dear friend and restorer Tony Jackson fixed up his missing parts for me and put him back on the road. I then touched up the bare wood and replaced some of his missing bridle, breastplate and hair in an attempt to make him look completely untouched. Sadly I don’t have a before photo, but I’m so pleased to see him under the tree with his new pals ❤️. I love a happy ending!