hobby horse vs horsy

hobby horse

noun
  • A child's toy consisting of a (usually wooden or cloth) horse's head mounted on a stick. 

  • A topic about which someone loves to talk at great length. 

  • The Irish hobby, an extinct breed of horse. 

  • A puppet-like costume used in some traditional dances and festivals that gives its wearer the appearance of a man on horseback. 

  • An early bicycle with no pedals or brakes; a draisienne. 

horsy

noun
  • A child's term or name for a horse. 

  • A game where a child rides on the back of another, who is on all fours. 

adj
  • Of or relating to horses. 

  • Of a person or people, involved in breeding or riding horses. 

  • Of a graphic design or typographical treatment which is clumsy, clunky, or unrefined. 

How often have the words hobby horse and horsy occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )