My great-grandfather, James Otto Hahs, invented the coin operated mechanical horse. I grew up visiting Hahs Machine Works in Sikeston, MO to ride the mechanical horse - it was the highlight of our trip when we visited grandparents. The "electric pony" had several gates that changed when you pulled up on the reigns. My mom learned how to ride a horse on this horse.
In Writin' for the Brand, Just One More Ride
"Hahs’s horse was much more than a fancied-up rocking horse. Instead of going back and forth using the child’s motion, it mimicked the true feel of a horse’s gait. With a slight pull on the reins the horse went at a walk, and with a harder pull would go at a gallop. His children were enthralled and named their horse Spark Plug." My mom also learned how to ride a horse on the mechanical horse!