I Had a Little Hobby-Horse Lyrics
A toy horse with a head of pea-straw and a tail of hay, sold to an old woman for one small coin. And the singer won't sing again until someone buys them a new coat.
I Had a Little Hobby-Horse
I had a little hobby horse,
And it was dapple grey,
Its head was made of pea-straw,
Its tail was made of hay.
I sold it to an old woman
For a copper groat;
And I'll not sing my song again
Without a new coat.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/i-had-a-little-hobby-horse/
- Type
- Mother Goose, Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Sung or chanted
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does I Had a Little Hobby-Horse Mean?
A hobby horse is a toy horse, usually a horse's head on a long stick that a child rides between their legs. This one is dapple grey, grey with darker round spots, and stuffed with pea-straw (the dried stalks of pea plants) and hay. The child sells it for a groat, an old coin worth four pennies. The last two lines are a cheeky ending: the singer wants a reward before singing the song again.
History and Origin
This version comes from Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes. Children have galloped about on stick horses for hundreds of years, and home-made ones stuffed with straw were common in country homes long before toy shops sold them.
Learning Activities
- Make one: stuff an old sock with paper, add button eyes and wool for a mane, and tape it to a broom handle or cardboard tube.
- Gallop: ride hobby horses around the garden as you say the rhyme.
- Dapple spotting: look at pictures of dapple grey horses.