Hobby Horse Tutorial.

Making a hobby horse for your little buckaroo is simple, and most likely something you could finish during (a very long) nap time.

Here are the supplies you will need:

1 large mens sock (I found mine at Wal-Mart in the sporting goods department)
brown yarn
brown wool felt
jute
2 animal eyes (found at any craft store)
1" wood dowel purchased from a hardware store
Poly-Fil
Scissors
Sewing needle with a large eye (for yarn)

Step 1: Fill the foot portion of the sock with Poly-Fil. Put as much in as you can.

Step 2: Add the animal eyes.

Step 3: Thread yarn onto needle.

Step 4: Begin sewing yarn onto sock to create the horses mane. 

Simply weave the yarn into and back out of the sock and secured it with a knot.

To make the process go a bit more quickly, don't cut the yarn tail until you have woven it into the sock for the neck piece of hair.

Once the second piece is in, clip and tie in a knot. Repeat until you have a nice full mane.

Step 5: Cut two horse ears out of the brown wool felt. Taking a long piece of felt, push the needle up through the inside of the sock where you want the ear. Once the needle is sticking out of the sock, push it through the ear going from back to front.

Step 6: Push the needle down through the ear (on the opposite side).

Step 7: Push the needle back down into the sock.

Step 8: Tie the two ends of the yarn together securely.
Repeat for other ear.

Step 9: Place sock on wood dowel and mark where the sock ends.  Cut out a small notch around the dowel where you marked. (My husband did this step for me using a table saw.)

Step 10: Using Poly-Fil, stuff the "neck" of the horse as full as you can get it.

Step 11: Tie the jute securely over the sock.  (Make sure the jute fits over the notched section of the dowel. That is what will keep it in place.)

Step 12: Use any remaining jute to add a bridle.

Owen and his friends all love these sweet hobby horses.  They were fun to make and would look pretty great propped up next to the tree Christmas morning, don't you agree?