spring horse

plural spring horses

1. A type of rocking horse that stands on a flat surface and moves by means of springs which attach the horse figure to its framework.

   When she was two, she got a spring horse for Christmas which she called her quarter horse.

   2023, Bill Bennington, Blind Date

   2 more examples

   A child's toy called a "spring horse," being 44 in. in length, and 78 lbs. in weight, carried home by a first-class traveller on the company's line, as a present for his child, is not "personal luggage" of the traveller which he is entitled to have carried free of charge under the above regulation.

   1869 May 29, “Hudston v. The Midland Railway Company”, in The Law Times Reports, volume 20, page 526

   The original spring horse in a de luxe model with copper base that offers the body-building benefits of rocking action.

   1959 November 23, “Spring Horse (advertisement)”, in Billboard, page 77

2. A piece of playground equipment consisting of a sturdy spring on which is mounted a figure, usually of a horse, on which a child sits and rocks.

   I want to ride fast. I want to ride slow. I will ride a spring horse.

   2014, Shradha Anand, “The Playground”, in Go Kids World Around, page 20

   2 more examples

   She saw other parts of a playground: a merry-go-round with rusted bars and one side resting on the ground, a spring horse bent over completely with the head busted in, and a splintered seesaw warped in the middle so that both ends sagged.

   2012, Alex L. Tavares, Decency, page 143

   The photos on this page show different pieces of playground equipment, including monkey bars, rings, a spring horse, and a tyre swing.

   2014, Rebecca Rissman, Parks, page 20

3. A trestle on which is mounted a metal plate that is held down at both ends and attached by a screw in the center that adjusts the tension of the plate, used for making or repairing springs.

   To obtain satisfactory results, particularly with automobile springs, a spring horse, such as illustrated at Fig. 1, will be of value.

   1916 October, L.T. Armstrong, “Spring Making and Repairing”, in The Blacksmith & Wheelwright, volume 74, number 4, page 355

   1 more example

   Ed LeClaire finished a settee for the "Shack,", Joe Grayson made a spring horse for Mr. Dodd, Mose Tepiew put a railing around the motor at the disposal plant.

   1939 December 8, Dill Maney, “Vocational: Blacksmith and Welding”, in The Indian Leader, volume 43, number 7, page 6

4. A racehorse that performs best on soft ground such as occurs in the spring.

   I am beginning to fancy that Sceptre is not a spring horse .

   1903 April 1, “The World of Sport”, in The Sketch, volume 41, page 416

   2 more examples

   Against the choice is a slight doubt about the going which will probably be on the soft side and some old bollocks about him being a spring horse. This is plainly nonsense. He's only 7 and hasn't been racing that long. Out of his eight wins up to this point, four were in November and December.

   2013, David Atkinson, Mug Punting, page 68

   He liked good ground – didn't enjoy heavy ground at all – he was very much a spring horse.

   2018, Hugh Cahill, Winners