A rocking horse-making machine

If Pete Darling had his way, every two-year-old child in the valley would get one of his hand-crafted rocking horses.

As it is, 62 will be riding the wooden steeds this holiday season. Last week the 82-year-old craftsman donated the rocking horses to the Toys For Tots program. He started building the horses Dec. 29 last year, shortly after he gave eight away to Toys for Tots. This batch he finished on Dec. 6. With a full year to assemble them, Darling said he’s worked about 600 hours on this herd of horses, all from his modest shop in his garage, which also houses his car and all his tools.

“I had everything set up,” he said last week. “I’d get five or so made, rest for a day, and then go at it again.”

Darling had plenty of help along the way. Western Building Center donated the lumber and the women staffers at the Columbia Falls store hand-painted the faces on the horses.

Columbia Falls High School students Vincent Erickson and Jinise Osborne used the school shop’s computerized saws to cut out many of the rockers and heads for the project.

Each horse has 18 separate pieces, including leather ears and yarn tails. Each horse takes about 10 to 12 hours to complete. Darling said he got the plans for the horses years ago, out of an ad in the Daily Inter Lake.

Western Building Center staff loaded the horses up on a flatbed truck last Wednesday and carefully delivered them to the Toys for Tots offices south of Kalispell.

Darling retired from the Forest Service, working in law enforcement and fire control in 1983. But he’s always stayed active. He manages the Woodlawn Cemetery and is an avid historian. And now, his work will be a permanent fixture in many Flathead households.

“It makes you feel good,” he said with a smile. “It’s all about the kids.”