In 1980 I quit my 'day' job at sea and bought enough wood to make six rocking horses.
I only had a few hand tools and worked in the garage of our house. The horses were carved out of pieces of pine glued together. I found a supplier for the little stirrups but made the metal swing irons and brackets myself, and a simple leather bridle and saddle, but all I could find for manes was human hair.
This is my son Sam, aged 2, test riding one of the first batch.
Nobody bought them, so I worked as a joiner, a postman and a woodwork teacher.