Elderly New Jersey man builds himself an 'e-horse'
Steve Bacque is famous in Cranford, New Jersey for riding around town on his homemade mechanical horse.
When Steve Bacque first started building Western-themed children's toys in his basement, he couldn't have imagined that he was about to stumble on a pot of gold. The toy company went from humble beginnings to becoming very successful in the mid-90s, earning Bacque national acclaim in his home country of America. He saw an opportunity to use the business to change his community: he employed people with disabilities at his factory.
As a native Texan, Bacque had a love for the cowboy lifestyle that was incurable, and he put that into all his ventures even after he sold his business. Now, he is infusing that same cowboy energy into the suburban streets of Cranford, New Jersey.
Bacque told news outlets that the mechanical horse was the best way he could keep a piece of home with him after moving to New Jersey to live with his wife: "What do you do with an old Texas rodeo cowboy when he marries a Jersey girl, he’s up in Jersey, and he has no place to keep a horse in Cranford? You make a mechanical horse!"
Bacque proudly shows off his "e-horse" and even tried to register it as a legal vehicle. Officials were initially stumped by his request but then told him to follow motorcycle rules when he is on the road.
Residents of Cranford love seeing Bacque around town and often stop to take pictures with him.
It seems everyone enjoys a reminder to keep their inner child alive.