Tradition. Many carousels have a variety of animals , and some have big high-backed benches like thrones.
English carousels typically turn clockwise. This is in contrast to carousels in many other countries, which generally rotate counterclockwise. The design choice is partly historical and reflects the direction in which horses would face when mounted.
Horses are usually the animals featured on fairground carousels. There might also be fictional animals of a similar nature such as unicorns but they are animals one can ride.
Little Rock, Ark
Carousels are often seen as a symbol of childhood innocence, joy, and nostalgia. The spinning motion can represent the cycle of life or the passage of time. The brightly colored horses and music can evoke feelings of happiness and playfulness.
they provide entertainment
Carousels were originally created as a form of training for cavalry soldiers, helping them practice horsemanship and combat skills in a controlled environment. They later evolved into amusement rides, designed to entertain the public and evoke a sense of nostalgia and whimsy. The colorful, rotating platforms featuring mounted horses and other figures offered a playful escape and a unique experience for riders.
they became bloody popular I 1895
They are also known as "carousels."
they became bloody popular I 1895
Carousels have always been associated with horses as they came from a cavalry training device used by Turkish and Arabian soldiers at the time of the crusades and back in Europe the term became used for mounted displays. But for the modern usage of carousel, then it is during the 1700s that they began to be used in fairgrounds where the wooden horses would be attached by poles or chains and would fly out via centrifugal force.
The first fairground ride is believed to be the "carousel," which dates back to the Middle Ages. These early carousels featured wooden horses and were used for training knights in jousting. They evolved over time into the amusement rides we know today, with the first mechanical carousels appearing in the 18th century. Other early rides included swings and simple merry-go-rounds, but the carousel is often considered the pioneer of fairground attractions.
There is evidence that an early form of the carousel existed in Europe in the 12th century, although the version we are familiar with (the merry-go-round, with painted ponies and music) didn't become popular in the United States till the 1870s. The early carousels were powered by a mule or a horse. Later, carousels used steam power and then electricity.