Notes

*A "bidet" was small horse from Brittany used as a draft horse. The breed is now extinct.

There are several variations of this song. Here are some line by line:

1st Line: Riding on a horse in French is "à cheval" (literally "on horse"). Baby talk for "horse" is "coco" or "dada", so the line can start with "à coco" or "à dada". In this case, the line would be either, "À dada sur mon bidet" or "À coco sur mon bidet".

"Bidet" is sometimes "baudet" (donkey) instead.

2nd Line: This line can be "Quand il marche, il fait des pets"(When he walks he farts).

3rd Line: This line can be in the same scatological shade as the previous one:

"Quand il trotte, il fait des crottes" (When he trots he makes some droppings).

4th Line:The last line can be: "Quand il galope, au galop, au galop, au galop" (When he gallops, at a gallop, at a gallop, at a gallop).

Stéphane Jourdan wrote: "It seems to me that the song ends (at least in my family) after the "galop" with: 'Tombé dans la rivière' (Fallen into the river): While the adult spreads her legs, the child falls but is held by the hands and also gets hooked on the knees (the adult holds him/her tightly by the hands)."

You will find "Sur le cheval de Grand-papa" as a variant to this song.

Game Instructions

(1) Sit the child on your lap, holding his hands
and make him bounce as if riding a horse.

(2) Make a slow beat with your legs.

(3) Speed up the rhythm.

(4) End with a gallop!

Download

Thanks to Monique Palomares for singing this song for us!

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Stéphane Jourdan for sharing his family's version!

Image from "ABC of Fox Hunting" by Sir John Dean Paul, edited by Mama Lisa.

Merci beaucoup!