'Chamber Horse' or Exercise Chair

This is a special type of chair, commonly called a 'Chamber Horse', because the motion made as you sat on it was similar to that of a trotting horse.

It was used as a method to take exercise when the weather did not permit you to ride out on horseback.

Riding was seen as a polite and acceptable way in which to excercise and remain fit, and this chair was designed so that it could be used in a similar 'genteel' manner. It would have been used by someone wealthy.

This chair is made of mahogany and leather, and illustrates that staying fit and healthy ia not just a modern concern.