the Pedestrian Curricle
Posted by P. Bingham on July 21, 1998 at 00:18:10:
In response to Hobby Horses, written by Marie-Bernadette on July 20, 1998 at 12:01:17
Dear Marie-Bernadette:
The Hobby Horse was invented by Baron von Drais in about 1816 and it was called the Draisine. The British version was the hobby horse which would have been available sometime after that though I can't say the date for certain. I do have an illustration of the English Hobby Horse dated 1819, though. It was also known in England as the Dandy Horse and the Pedestrian Curricle, the later name being the "smartest." This sport was short lived but it was in vogue long enough for "riding academies" to be established to teach young bloods how to navigate them. In 1821 Louis Gompertz, and Englishman tried to improve the design by rigging a ratchet on the front wheel which was operated by leaning against a padded support and sawing a handle bar forward and back. This latter model did not become popular.
Patricia
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