Rocking horse restoration

[Vicsticks]

Hello, I have an old rocking horse I would like to restore, the problem is I have never taken on a project involving wood before and as a result I have no idea where to start or what tools to use. Any advice, tips, recommendations, shoves in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. 

[wtnhighlander]

Welcome to the party, Vicsticks! That is a beautiful horse. Other than the obvious repairs, can you describe how deep you plan to go with this restoration? Complete strip and refinish, or simple repair and patch?

[Vicsticks]

Hi, thanks for replying to my post. As this is my first project, it's probably best I go with the more mangageable option, but I want to change the colour, add a tail and mane, etc. Maybe replace the saddle.The head has been glued back on at some point. Where do I start??

[wtnhighlander]

Start by carving some new ears. That will be challenge enough for a while, I think. If it were me, I would probably clamp a straight edged board acriss the top, and use that to guide my saw and chisels to create a flat bed for the new ears to mate with. Then drill a hole in each ear base to hold a dowel. Matching holes in the new ear blocks. Roughly shape the ears, then glue them over the dowels, and finish shaping them in place. A rasp and coarse sandpaper will get tou through.

I would do all the wood repairs and refinish before attaching mane & tail. Since it is all painted, any number of wood filling methods could be used on the various nicks and cuts in the surface.

It might pay to inspect that neck repair in great detail. It looks as if a lot of filler was used, and could be a weak joint.