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Well our trip to Paradise Lagoons was our first venture out with our rocking horses and we have gained alot from it. As well as getting some orders and restoration jobs, we heard wonderful stories from people about how they came to come by they're horses,,, one lady bought hers for $1 at a jumble sale, how lucky was she ! Seems like there are lots of old rocking horses still out there, maybe hidden away in sheds or under houses and after talking with lots of owners I think they will all see the light of day again.
What was really amazing was to watch people's faces and how they're expressions changed once they spotted our rocking horses,, frowns disappeared to be replaced by big wide smiles, and then they would proceed to tell us all about the horse they had as a child and where it was now. Sadly some had been sold off or given away when kids grew out of them and we even heard of one that had been thrown out to the tip by a relative, but everyone had great memories of their horse. Many people couldn't help but stroke the manes of our horses and rub their muzzles while telling us their stories. We put in a huge amount of sanding time on our horses so that when you do rub they're necks or muzzle or even the rump, it just feels silky smooth.
All in all it was a great trip, met lots of wonderful people and lots of rocking horse stories and we will be back there again next year. So keep checking our site to get the dates for next years Richest Campdraft in Australia, Paradise Lagoons.
BELOW - A late 1958 Roebuck that came to us at Paradise Lagoons to be restored. Will have some photo's from time to time to record his transformation.
THEN
NOW
THE END RESULT
This is how the old Roebuck would have looked when it was brand new back in 1958.
These old horses always have a few surprises once all the old paint is sanded off, and he had several deep cracks and a couple of very wobbly legs to fix, but after a lot of work, we think it looks rather nice. Back then they made the horse look very nice with the different colored straps and saddle, and there was only one thing we changed in this restoration and that was the stirrup irons, as we weren't that keen on the one's that came with the kit, so we put a set of our own iron's on, and the owner was quit pleased.
If you are looking to have your old Rocking Horse restored please keep in mind that there is ALOT of work required to bring them back to there former glory, and believe it or not, more than making a new one. It all just depends on how much you are willing to outlay to achieve this.
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