Hobby Horses

The hobby horse is said by Dr E. C. Cawte to be a custom of Germanic or Scandinavian origin, which seems very likely considering the importance of the horse in these ancient cultures. And it has been theorised that the roots of the hobby horse is rooted in traditions such as hoodening, a custom which involved people dressing up in animal skins and carrying the heads of animals. The custom of the hobby horse has been compared to similar customs found in Scandinavia, one of these being the julebukk, meaning Yule-goat.

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