When Was the Wooden Horse Used as Punishment?

The wooden horse, also called the Spanish donkey, was a torture device used for the purposes of punishment during the American colonial period. The device was used to punish people for crimes they had committed, such as stealing chickens or other petty activity. The duration of the torture varied according to the crime that had been committed and the person committing the crime.

We know the wooden horse was used as punishment for various crimes during the American colonial period. But, how did it work and what was the purpose of it?

• The original wooden horse devices were constructed from wood.
• They were made with a triangular roof pitch at the top that was very sharp. This was supported by four wooden legs.
• Individuals who had committed the crime would be instructed to mount the horse with the sharp pitch or point along the top of the roof-like structure going straight into their genitals.
• More punishment was applied by attaching weights to the feet in order to keep the individual from falling off of the horse when the pain became too unbearable.
• The weights were also applied to press down on the genital area for increased pain and punishment.
• After the person was on the wooden horse, it was not uncommon for them to be paraded through town for everyone to look at and also to be tarred and feathered as well.

Wooden Horses Today

Today, there more modern variations of the wooden horse that are used commonly in adult sexual role play.

• The more modern variation draws inspiration from the wooden horse in colonial times, but today it is made differently.
• The more modern wooden horses are simply one board that is turned with the thin side of the board facing upward and downward.
• This board is then attached to four legs and mounted to the floor or, alternatively, the single board turned on its side may be simply suspended on an adjustable chain from the ceiling.
• The individual engaging in the activity would then mount this board and the board would be raised or lowered to the point where they were standing on their tip toes.
• Naturally over a period of time, the individual would tire and come down on the board applying a level of pain on their genitals which would force them to rise back up on their tiptoes and adjust their position.
• This would occur over and over again until the individual could no longer stand on their tip toes and would just have to succumb to the pain.

It is believed that the more modern design of the wooden horse came from Japan and China. The wooden horse was used on females as punishment in these countries in the same manner as it is used in modern sexual role play.

So, now you know when the wooden horse was used as punishment in the past and how the wooden horse may be used today.