peashooter85:The Iron Dobbin,Invented in Italy in 1933, the Iron Dobbin was a mechanical horse origi
peashooter85:The Iron Dobbin,Invented in Italy in 1933, the Iron Dobbin was a mechanical horse originally developed to train young children how to ride. Powered by a gasoline engine, the Iron Dobbin was essentially a four legged walker, its legs being made from steel pipes. The Iron Dobbin was supposed to mimic the movement of a horse, and supposedly was able to traverse rough terrain. Originally the Iron Dobbin was intended to train children of the Italian Fascist Youth Movement to ride, and the Italian Army considered the machine to replace draft horses and donkeys. However the Italian Army deemed the design impractical. The German Army also developed their own version called the “Panzerpferd”, or Armored Horse, but it too was found to be an impractical design. The Iron Dobbin was featured in the April, 1933 edition of Popular Science. -- source link