“Wooden Horse or Spanish Donkey”

 The wooden horse, or Spanish donkey, was an extremely painful and gruesome medieval torture device.  It was first used by the Holy Inquisition in France and then in Spain and Germany, and then migrated to the Americas, gaining prominence during the colonial period.  The main design was the same wherever it was used.  It was a triangular wooden box with a very sharp top end (ie where the horse’s spine would be).

 The apparatus was constructed of wood, with planks nailed together to form a long, tapered ridge, which would serve as the horse’s back.  These were supported by four legs attached to a bracket, about 6 or 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 metres) high, with wheels fitted to the bottom of the legs so that the entire device could roll across the ground.  A head and tail would be attached to make the torture device look like an almost “fun” huge wooden horse.

 The defendant would be mounted on the horse, with ankle weights and hands tied behind his back.  They were expected to hold this position for hours, sometimes days.

 Variants of the Spanish donkey were used from the Middle Ages (it was supposedly invented by the Holy Inquisition in 12th century France), until the American Civil War period of the 1860s. It was also a torture device favored by early Jesuits.  It has even been documented that one of the founding fathers of the United States used this torture device.  The frequent use of the device by the Spanish army was documented in the 19th century.

 In the Wooden Horse, with the chains on, the entire weight of the victim or prisoner fell on his vulva or pelvis.  Ankle weights were added to each side to make the skin tear.