In my previous blog post I mentioned some English rhymes which can be played with children sitting on adults’ laps, with either babies or older kids.
This time, I’d like to discuss another genre of lap rhymes called Horse Trotting Rhymes.
Horse Trotting Rhymes are usually done with older kids. You wouldn’t want to play these babies since you don’t want to jiggle their heads.
When singing these songs you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees as if they’re riding a horse. Older kids love these rhymes.
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross is one of the best-known English Horse Trotting Rhymes…
Ride a Cock-horse to Banbury Cross
Ride a cock-horse* to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
And she shall have music wherever she goes.*A cock-horse is anything a kid rides on and pretends is a horse (i.e. someone’s lap, a rocking horse or a wooden stick with a wooden horses head).
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston is another well-known Horse Trotting Rhyme. Below I’ve listed some of the variations of the rhyme…
Trot, Trot, Trot to Boston
Trot, trot, trot to Boston
(Gently bounce the child on your knees)Trot, trot, trot to Lynn.
(Gently bounce again)Watch out Little One/Girl/Boy/or kids’ name
(Gently bounce knees again)Or you’ll fall in/You’re going to fall in!/or Cause you might fall in!
(Open knees/Gently bring child down between knees and then lift back up)Variation:
Trot, trot to Boston
Trot, trot to Maine
Trot, trot
And home, home again.Or:
Trot, trot, to Boston;
Trot, trot, to Lynn;
Trot, trot, to Salem;
Home, home again.
When singing this next song you move your legs up and down with the child on your knees. With each verse you move your legs a little higher…
This Is the Way the Ladies Ride
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tree,
Tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the ladies ride,
Tri, tre, tre, tre, tri-tre-tre-tree!This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-trot,
Gallop-a-trot!
This is the way the gentlemen ride,
Gallop-a-gallop-a-trot!This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hoy,
Hobbledy-hoy!
This is the way the farmers ride,
Hobbledy-hobbledy-hoy!
Here’s a similar one…
Here Goes My Lord
Here goes my lord
A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot,
Here goes my lady
A canter, a canter, a canter, a canter!Here goes my young master
Jockey-hitch*, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch, jockey-hitch!
Here goes my young miss
An amble, an amble, an amble, an amble!The footman lags behind to tipple** ale and wine,
And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.*To jockey is to ride a horse like in a race as if you’re a jockey. To hitch is to raise with a jerk. So I believe jockey-hitch describes riding a horse quickly, yet, fitfully up and down.
**To drink
Here’s one more…
Little Shon a Morgan
Little Shon a Morgan
Shentleman of Wales,
Came riding on a nanny-goat,
Selling of pigs’ tails.Chicky, cuckoo, my little duck,
See-saw, sickna downy;
Gallop a trot, trot, trot,
And hey for Dublin a towny!
If you would like to share any more Horse Trotting Rhymes with us, feel free to tell us about them in the comments below.
The illustration comes from The National Nursery Book.
Enjoy and have fun!
Mama Lisa
This artilce was posted on Sunday, July 27th, 2008 at 9:38 pm and is filed under American Kids Songs, Australia, British Children's Songs, Canada, Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, England, English, English Nursery Rhymes, Games, Great Britain, Horse Trotting Rhymes, Languages, Lap Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes, Nursery Rhymes About Animals, Rhymes by Theme, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
October 21st, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I’m not sure where this one came from, but this was what we always did in my family, and what I always do for the children I know.
(With the child facing you on your lap, start bouncing them up and down while holding their hands)
I had a horse, his name was Jack
I rode his tail to save his back
His tail fell off and I fell back
Whoooooa Jack
(on the Whooooa let the child go back, and then pull them back up on Jack)
Be prepared to do this one for hours.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Trot my little tater tot with joy to cherish with every trot.
From trot to canter to walk to STOP.
To play hooray.
To on my feet to the horse we meet we play around and kick, gallop oops that was not me!
April 27th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I remember bouncing little ones on the knee to something in Norwegian, but I don’t really know any of the words. To my childhood memory it went like this:
(starting in a low voice, with knees bouncing just slightly)
So-De-A-Hum and a So-De-A-Bruuda
So-De-A-Hum and a So-De-A-Bruuda
(now bouncing high on the knees)
And a Suss-Pa-Pa-Bo and a Suss-Pa-Pa-Bo and a Sus-Pa-Pa-Bo
And a B in a smudaset.
Can anyone help with the real words?
May 31st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
The following rhyme has been in my family for years and was passed on by my Father who stills teaches it to every new grandchild. the child is bounced up and down while sitting on adults leg thrown over the other and at the end of the rhyme on ‘Turkey Cock’ the child is lifted higher into the air for the end.
Galloping trot, from Mallow to Cork
To buy a sheeps head to put in the pot
A shoulder of sheep, A lump of beef
A fine fat hen and a Turkey Cock!
June 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am
this is NOT for older kids these are for toddlers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE HATE THOSE SONGS!
-bobert
October 26th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
my little one loves this-
baa baa goes sheep
neigh neigh goes horse
woof woof goes dog
meow meow goes cat and
wair wair goes YOU
ON EACH ANIMAL SOUND MOVE YOUR KNEESAND ON you MOVE YOUR KNEES APART AND PUT THE CHILD AUP AGAIN
October 31st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I have some teetotaling in-laws from Alabama, where I’ve heard them recite:
Ride a little horsie into town,
Horse got drunk and *name* fell down!
It’s short, so your leg won’t get tired.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
RE: This is the way the Ladies ride.
In my family in England the last line of this game was:
This is the way the huntsman rides – over the hedges and down in the ditches.
You lift the child as high as you can “over the hedges” separate your knees and hold the child as low as you can “down in the ditches” Sometimes we were even let go onto the floor and had “fallen off” usually when the ride giver was tired of the game.
May 20th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Keri Newton wrote:
Dunno where its from, but my great granny used to sing…
GiddyUp horsey go to Town
Buy some candy by the pound
Whoah, horsey don’t fall down
Then Suddenly Your On The Ground!
This rhyme is done with the child straddling your lap facing you. Hold child’s hands and sing song it while bouncing legs up and down.
On the last sentence, string the word ground out (i.e. grouuunnnnnd) while stretching legs out and gently letting child slide down your legs, to the floor.
Just thought it be neat to share.
Keri
May 26th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Please help me. My great grand mother used to sing a song to me while I sat on her lap.
She would bounce her knees and say “ou ou ou dada si sa valez — il est tentes il est rey il est tentes oooouuuu dada”
At the end I would slide down her legs. I know that I have masacured the words her… she was from France so I’m thinking it was french that she spoke….
If any one has a clue about what this song is I would really appreciate if you would write to me… pywakit80@aol.com
thank you so much.
Honesty.
September 6th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
My Grandma was very French. She used to sit my cousins on her foot with her knees crossed and bounce them holding on to their hands. She sang a song that sounded like “si trot, gros trot” and I’m not sure what came after. Does anyone know this one?
May 6th, 2011 at 2:52 am
I loved all those little stories. I know that this game is so
popular. Riding via foot is just as if not more popular than getting down on all fours. Great site! Loved it!
May 27th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Could you please let me know the text of the song:
it’s about horse trotting and galloping etc
my son heard that song once in library so he really loved the tune, i would love to teach but dont know the words
thank you so much guys
April 4th, 2012 at 10:11 am
My dad sang this to us and I sang it to my kids:
A dance-a-didlee dance-a-day
A dance-a-didlee dance-a-day
A dance-a-didlee dance-a-day
A dance-a-didlee dance-AH DAY! (on this last syllable, you throw the toddler into the air with your foot, which they’re riding on).
My Mam also did the
OOOhhh gallup and trot from Mallow to Cork but it had a line like
Sold me buttermilk, every drop!