Rehoming Rocking Horses

SCONE has long been known as the horse capital and thanks to some caring craftsman it is also becoming known for antique rocking horse restoration.

John Pratley has a passion for restoring RJ Roebuck and Sons rocking horses and other members of the Men’s Shed are learning the art of hand restoring the antique toys.

See images below.

RJ Roebuck and Sons was a family owned company and was one of the first makers of rocking horses in England.

In 1880 the family began making the horses in Australia, but by 1972 with the advent of cheaper plastic toys they had to close their doors.

“There is a man in Sydney who restores them, Michael Egan, and his wife does the saddles and details,” said Mr Pratley.

“He has sent me a couple to restore as he is doing less now and there really aren’t many people around who do them,” he said.

At Christmas the Men’s Shed raffled a Roebuck rocking horse they had restored to raise money for the Shed.

They raised $4,200 and the lucky winner was Lorraine Ray.

Already they have set to work restoring another Roebuck which was in an unloved state and they predict it will be back to its former glory early this year.