About Us
“A most unusual career and business choice” is what my twin brother Tony and I are used to hearing since setting up Stevenson Brothers Rocking Horses over 40 years ago.
Twins in business together is rare, but making rocking horses, even rarer. Our inspiration came from our uncle James Bosworthick, and our father, who were both Naval Shipwrights in the Chatham Dockyard. Uncle James made toys and rocking horses all his life and we always thought one day we would be given one to share.
After spending most of our childhood in Malta and Kenya, we moved back to England in the late 1960’s. Unfortunately though, the wooden rocking horse we had wanted from Uncle James never appeared.
After a Grammar school education we went on our separate paths for a while. Tony into modelling, then tree milling and finally working in a draught office for a large American Oil Company in Hammersmith. I took myself off to Art College and did a degree in graphic design, spending most of my time in the 3D construction department, designing and making educational aids for children with disabilities.
It was in 1982 at a party on a friend’s Thames Barge at Hammersmith when we had a conversation about going into business together. We went to see Uncle James, who was still a one man band in Suffolk and was about to retire. He said that we definitely couldn’t stick at making horses and besides no-one wanted them any more as the first Gameboy computer games were appearing.
We decided to go ahead with a business in rocking horse making and so returned to see our Uncle a couple of months later. He asked for the sum of £1000 to train one of us as an apprentice…a very wise move on his part. We had to borrow the money and then convince our sister to lend us a shed on her farm and two bedrooms. Fortunately, she did and we moved into Finn Farm in Kingsnorth.
After six months we officially launched Stevenson Brothers Rocking Horses on our birthday 20th October 1982. We decided to number every horse starting with 001; a tradition we continue to this day where every rocking horse has a numbered plaque. Soon after this, Sue Russell started working with us in an administrative role and soon became a partner in the business - thank goodness! Her ability to manage the day-to-day running of the business including finances, ordering, shipping and so much more has been invaluable, as has the way she's handled every obstacle over the years.
We have now made thousands of rocking horses for adults and children all over the world. Our clients have included royalty, sports personalities, artists, interior designers, musicians, horse lovers and more. We were privileged to make and present rocking horses to HM Queen Elizabeth II as well as her grandchildren. We also created a rocking version of Olympic Champion Charlotte Dujardin's horse Valegro. We restored a rescued rocking horse for the legendary Dame Mary Berry and have worked with countless more fantastic people over the years. Just to mention a few: Dame Joanna Lumley, Dame Maureen Lipman, Kelly Hoppen CBE, Julien McDonald OBE, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Judi Dench and Nicky Clarke OBE.
Our rocking horses are a luxury product and something truly special. Unlike any other toy, a bespoke rocking horse is a lasting legacy for your family to be treasured for generations to come. The more it is ridden and enjoyed, the more unique and special it becomes. Everyone will have their own memories of riding into their imaginations. Also, a rocking horse can be a striking design feature in any room, we are increasingly seeing interior designers incorporate a rocking horse into their concepts for nursery designs, a child's bedroom, a library, music room, lounge, garden room, family room and more. Regardless of your age, a Stevenson Brothers rocking horse really is the perfect addition to your home."
Marc Stevenson