The name comes from its home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden. Most popular are the red-orange horses from the little village of Nusn s near Mora on Lake Siljan. Since Viking times the horse has been considered a holy animal. Throughout history, and in most cultures, wooden horses have been carved as toys.
Traditions vary in giving credit to woodsmen and to soldiers for originating the craft.
Dala Horses from the Nusn s-Mora area first appeared in their familiar bright trapping in the 1800's when the kurbit, or flower patterned saddle, was regularly added to them. These designs come from the Biblical story in which Jonah sat outside the city of Ninevah and the Lord caused a Kurbit, or gourd vine, to grow up beside him to protect him from the desert sun. The Dala Horse gained international popularity when it was chosen by the National Crafts Union for part of the Swedish display at the Paris Exposition in the mid-19th century. Men of the village carve the horses at home, bringing them back to the main workshop to be painted by skilled artists there. Most Nusn s-Mora Dala Horses are the traditional reddish color, but the same workshops also produce blue, black and natural horses.