Thread: Walking hobby horse info needed.

the mechanism looks to be a variation of the "waddling duck" on this page Nonlinear Dynamics of Wooden Toys

Thank you Ian for your post.
I agree with the principle, but believe both legs can move fore and aft. I reckon they must be connected with a link to move the elevated front leg forward at the same time as you also rock forward on the rear leg.
Would be great to get a view of the underside of one, or even better to get some measurements.

Cheers Chook
Esperance, Western Australia

Could it be that the front leg has a spring attached above the pivot point and fixed to the inside back of the seat and the rear legs are fixed so that when the horse is rocked backwards the front leg moves forward, then whe the rocking action goes forward the weight of the horse and rider overcomes the spring and the front leg moves backwards and the process repeats

Here is a link to a page with some basic overall dimensions.

Originally Posted by Chook2

Thank you Ian for your post.
I agree with the principle, but believe both legs can move fore and aft. I reckon they must be connected with a link to move the elevated front leg forward at the same time as you also rock forward on the rear leg.
Would be great to get a view of the underside of one, or even better to get some measurements.

Cheers Chook
Esperance, Western Australia

here are some more pictures https://www.ebth.com/items/6037815-h...od-hobby-horse

I think that the front leg is fixed and the forward motion relies on the curvature of the front foot. This curve is probably an ellipse.
The rider rocks back lifting the front leg off the ground.
The rider then lunges forward placing the front foot on the ground and rocking forward so that the rear legs leave the ground and move to beside the front foot. The action is then repeated.

I think you may need to build a model to work out the fine details of the required curvature of the foot.

Here is a bit more info https://books.google.ca/books?id=pT8...0horse&f=false
go to page 69 and following.
two of the photos in the above

Wow thanks for the links guys!!!! Lots of great photos there. Cheers for taking the time to source them for me, as my internet speed is painfully slow. So really appreciate your help.

I just found a video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kG6AgWYqNA

From your link Ian I found this photo (from the same magazine) a few year later.
Can see some sort of linkage from the rear legs??

I think it might just be a bar to stop the rear legs falling off.
If the front leg does pivot, I suspect the range of the pivot is small, maybe 15 to 20 degrees.

I think a working model is the next step.

I totally agree with the model idea Ian.
I never throw away my cereal packets, as I develop/ scale my ideas for my land yachts and kite buggys I build and race, on the back of them.
I have files full of cardboard templates I’ve made over the years.

When we get a hot day that’s too uncomfortable in the shed, this will be my homework in the airconditioning.
I was putting it out there to try and get more of an ideawhere to start and make it easier on my grey matter.
Cheers for your input.