A quiet, gentle horse used for ordinary riding or pulling carts, often one that's getting old or isn't particularly fast or spirited.
Possibly from 'Robert' or 'Robin' as a diminutive name for horses (like how 'Dobbin' became a generic horse name). The term became common in English by the 17th century, likely from Dutch or Germanic sources, and was often used affectionately for a common workhorse.
Before cars, most people never owned fancy racehorses—they had 'Dobbins,' ordinary, reliable horses that were more like family trucks! In literature, Dobbin came to symbolize steadfast loyalty and humble virtue, most famously as the character William Dobbin in Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair'—a man as loyal and patient as the horse he symbolized.
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