Comments on: A horse called Dobbin

Question: A horse called Dobbin

robotot — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:49:22 -0800

Does anyone remember a children's book or story or nursery rhyme with a horse called Dobbin in it?

By: TheRaven

TheRaven — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:59:04 -0800

http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/my_dobbin/index.htm

By: londongeezer

londongeezer — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:04:35 -0800

Slight detour: there's a character so named in Thackeray's Vanity fair, noted for his steadfastness. It may be that his name was inspired by your horse or vice-versa.

By: nonane

nonane — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:12:59 -0800

Dobbin is sort of a generic name for a workhorse, isn't it? The example that comes to mind for me is "Put on your old grey bonnet, with the blue ribbon on it/and I'll hitch old Dobbin to the shay" from the 1910 song.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:17:10 -0800

Fisher Price had a ride-on Dashing Dobbin toy in 1938

By: mollweide

mollweide — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:38:42 -0800

Up the hill to blanket fair,
What shall we have we get there,
A bucket full of water,
A penny worth of hay,
Gee up, dobbin, all the way.

From my son's My Very First Mother Goose.

By: mollweide

mollweide — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 06:39:41 -0800

Actually, it's "up the wooden hill". So much for my memory.

By: LairBob

LairBob — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:20:07 -0800

Yeah, "Dobbin" is definitely a generic horse name in England, like "Fido" is in the US for dogs.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:40:28 -0800

OED:

[the proper name Dobbin (dim. of Dob, altered forms of Robin, Rob, dim. of Robert) as a pet name.]

An ordinary draught or farm horse; sometimes contemptuously, an old horse, a jade.
1596 SHAKES. Merch. V. II. ii. 100 Thou hast got more haire on thy chin, then Dobbin my philhorse has on his taile. 1862 SALA Accepted Addr. 229 The dappled dobbins wink lazily. 1871 MISS MULOCK Fair France 5 Bits of shiny brass.. jangling about their fore legs, in a fashion which British Dobbin would never submit to.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 08:05:23 -0800

Dobbin is the standard traditional name for Pantomine Horses in British Pantomimes

By: yogurtisgenocide

yogurtisgenocide — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 09:40:29 -0800

There's a Dobbin in The Tomten, I believe.

By: nax

nax — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:56:03 -0800

Now here is to Dobbin and to his right eye
May god send my master a good Christmas pie
A good Christmas pie that may we all see
With the wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.