Giddy-Up and Go: Why Kids (and Parents) Love Our Wooden Stick Horses

Hi friends!

It’s Teresa again from My Unique Wooden Toys, and I just have to tell you about one of our absolute favorite things we make: our Wooden Stick Horses! 🐴

Now listen, I know we live in a world full of screens and noisy battery-powered gadgets. But let me tell you, there’s nothing—nothing—like watching a child gallop through the yard or down the hallway, giggling wildly while holding onto one of our handmade stick horses.

These little ponies have become such a staple in our shop. Darren hand-turns the handles right here in our Indiana workshop, and we attach soft fabric manes, secure everything with non-toxic glue, and sand them smooth as butter. And every time we finish one, I can’t help but picture the little rider it’s going to belong to. 🥰

We make these with all kinds of little cowpokes in mind—boys, girls, toddlers with wild imaginations, and even older siblings who want to stage rodeos in the backyard.

My stick horse memories go back to when my kids were little and their aunt made them some stick horses for Christmas because they always grabbed what they could and imagined a stick horse. We've improved those first ones that they received! All of our horses have real leather reins and bridles that are attached firmly with clamped hardware. We do a special technique so the head is firm on the dowel rod and it won't swivel. You won't be disappointed and your little ones will be so excited!

What makes our stick horses different? Well, like all our wooden toys, they’re built with care and designed to last. We use pine for our wooden ones. They come stained, black child safe paint or a natural pine or a pine with a clear beeswax finish. Our wooden ones are sanded and buffed so that every part is smooth, with rounded edges and zero sharp corners. Safe for kids, made with love, and full of possibility.

If you ask me, the real magic of a stick horse is how it transforms a living room into a prairie or a sidewalk into a racetrack. It’s pretend play at its best—pure, joyful, and so important for little minds.

These are perfect birthday gifts, too. Many of these wooden stick horses have been used for Nutcracker productions along with our rifles.

Every order we get is a little reminder of why Darren and I started this journey in the first place: to bring back classic toys that spark creativity, not clutter. Our stick horses are just one of the ways we’re doing that, and we hope you’ll let one gallop into your home soon.

Thanks for reading, thanks for supporting small business, and thank you most of all for keeping imagination alive.

See you at the corral,

Teresa