spring horses

Noun

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.
   • 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
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.
   • 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
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
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