Colin Wilson gave an interesting talk on  carving a rocking horse.    He uses plywood for strength and the beauty of the finished effect.    The choice of the country of origin, the type of plywood and the glue the manufacturer used were important considerations.     He works from a plan from which he can cut all the pieces.    These have to be glued together carefully and clamped.    If you get this wrong then the horse will not stand correctly on the rockers.      The horse is shaped with an arbotech,  a belt sander and hand files, but the finish can only be achieved with glass paper and lots of elbow grease.      The mane, and saddle he bought for £56 which he thought was extortionate until he realised that the finished horse would fetch somewhere in the region of £500.