Customer Reviews

Radio Flyer Liberty Spring Horse

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After coming across this item, I thought it would be the perfect Christmas gift for my 2.5 year old. However, after reading all the negative reviews on this horse, I had second thoughts and called Radio Flyer directly. They said they have addressed all the initial problems that happened when this product first came out almost 2 years ago. They said that for the past year the improved model they are now selling has fabric spring covers (not plastic anymore) and that there is an added safety strap feature that hooks on to the horse's body that will prevent the child from being pitched off in the event that one of the S-hooks breaks. They also said owners of any of the original versions can contact them and they will send out a free repair kit that contains these items which they can then retrofit. So I am crossing my fingers that these problems don't exist anymore and have placed an online order for this. Will update my review once I get it.

Caution: My 2 1/2 year old son LOVES this horse. He rides it everyday, many times a day. It is only 2 months old and already the spring covers are destroyed and yesterday the S hook that connects the spring to the horse BROKE in half causing my son to fall. Fortunately, the wall 'caught' him or else he may have been impaled by the pole support of the horse and seriously injured. My son was left only with a bruise on his nose and hurt feelings because his horse was broken. We contacted Radio Flyer. They offered to ship us more S hooks, but somehow I think they lost the bigger picture of the safety hazard of this toy. I think and hope it will be recalled before an innocent child is seriously hurt or killed. Please consider this before purchasing. Thank you.

This horse is sooo nice. The yarn mane is very cute. The foot rests, besides being better than those of other similar horses because of the 3 levels, are better because they are so much more substantial. The others are of a much thinner plastic, and since that's where your child's foot would be its good that its sturdy and not easily cracked. But my favorite feature is the soft seat. It is really thick. Little one's can bounce to their heart's content without a sore bottom. If you purchase the horse at a Toys R Us store, they will assemble it for you for ten bucks. I highly recommend this horse!

The first problem waswith the spring safety covers. The springs wore through the plastic covers after about 2 weeks and now the pipes and springs are exposed. The company sent me replacement covers, but I can't see that they will last any longer this time around. I'm actually surprised that no one else has mentioned this problem yet. Addendum:FIRST OUR SPRING COVERS WORE OUT IN TWO WEEKS. THEN A SPRING BROKE. THE BROKEN PIECE OF METAL WAS HURLED ACROSS THE ROOM AND HIT ME IN THE LEG. THE COMPANY REPLACED THE SPRING. NOW JUST AFTER ONE WEEK OF RIDING AGAIN, ANOTHER SPRING BROKE. MY DAUGHTER FELL OFF BOTH TIMES. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A QUALITY ITEM! RADIO FLYER HAS SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THIS TOY, AND I'LL BE CALLING THEM AGAIN TOMORROW. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PIECE OF JUNK! DON'T BUY!

I bought my 2 1/2 daughter this horse and she loves it. I have to admit that she WAS scared the first time she saw it because it looks so real! She can get on and off it with no problem. The horse does sit a little high but it has side steps that make it easy to get on and off. My husband put the horse together by himself and it took him 3 hours because it has a lot of little screws. He did need my help to put the head together so i guess you can say that one person can put it together. We love the saddle! It's nice and soft. We know that it is going to last us a long time since it is a "Radio Flyer". They have a good reputation of Quality and Durablity. Mom loves the safety covers for the springs, Dad loves that fact that he didn't pay for it (just kidding) he likes the fact that it will last a long time and our daughter just loves it, period.
4/13/05 It's been 3 months now since we bought the horse. We have NO problem with the springs nor the covers as mentioned with other people. My daughter rides it Everyday and believe me, she goes Crazy on it. Hopefully, those other kids are ok but our horse is doing just fine so far, so good.

I bought this used, but in excellent condition, about a year ago, so the horse is approx. 3 yrs old. My son really loves it. Now he is 2 1/2 yrs. old and he loves it even more. He rocks fast and yells, "Mama, look at me. Fast!" I found the construction to be sturdy. One of my spring covers does have a small crack in it, but nothing major. The base is very stable, even with rough riding it doesn't tip. The only thing parents should be aware of is the height. This horse is very tall and my son can not get off by himself (although he can climb on very easily). Because of this he doesn't ride it as often as I think he would like, as he has to ask me to get down.

My cousin had one of these when we were growing up and I remember using the heck out it. We rode her horse until we were 9 - and that was before the days of spring covers. The reason I bought this was because I think this will be something my son can use for years. I truly believe that as he grows, he will use more consistently. In the meantime, he's still a little guy and I don't mind helping him off.

We bought this toy for my sons 2 yr old birthday. We didn't realize how big it would be compared to him. My 5 yr old daughter enjoyed it tons. My son finally rode it a few months later and LOVED it! He usually gets bored with his toys pretty quickly but he is almost 3 and still enjoys it! Plus, I watch 2 other children in my home and they love it also. The only real problem I have with this toy is that the kids fight over it. However about 3 or 4 months after I bought it one of the rods that goes through the horses neck to connect it to the body somehow unscrewed. It was easily fixed, I didn't even call the company. And my kids are still enjoying it.

After reading some of the reviews and the problems some people had encountered, I went online to the radio flyer website. A phone number was listed so I called the company and was assured by a customer representative that all safety and design problems had been addressed and corrected. Thought some of you may find this interesting. I plan on purchasing for my grandson for Christmas.

My son got this horse as a gift for christmas and we are so pleased with it. It is very safe for a 20 mo. old who climbs on every thing the second a back is turned. The springs are covered so he can't be pinched and the seat is cushioned, it even has the step up base to make it easier to safely slide down off.

With the memory of my old "wonder horse" in mind I ordered this one for our 2 1/2 yr old son for Christmas. It never occurred to me to pay attention to the measurements of the thing. Christmas Eve night I prepare to wrap all gifts (once everyone is asleep) & the 2 1/2 yr wakes crying.. HARD. This went on 730-midnight. So, I start again at 12 & by 230 I am ready to assemble the horse... the 'big gift' from Santa...but I am overwhelmed by the pieces and parts that I am pulling from this box. I put them all back in and threw a blanket over it while being thankful he (2 1/2 yr old) is not even aware what the morning will bring anyway.
2 days later, after I recover from the lack of sleep and chaos of family, etc... I assembled this Stallion. Not complicated really, just a bit time consuming. The next morning he was quite shocked to see this huge horse in the family room! He needs shoes to ride it safely as he's short legged but he loved it! What a great moment to remember... and I'm sure it will only get more fun as his legs get longer!
This thing is BIG! A great padded saddle and durable feeling allover. My Wonder Horse was very hard plastic, like the kind that would crack if hit with a hammer... this one wouldn't crack like that. (but don't go whacking it with a hammer now!)