rough rider

rough rider (plural rough riders)

1. Something, such as a steam locomotive, that does not travel smoothly when in motion
   • 1962 June, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Modern Railways, page 398:

     It is common knowledge that the Stanier Class 5 4-6-0s can be very rough riders at speed, owing to "knock" in the trailing left-hand axlebox, and this tendency would be eased with any lengthening of the cut-off.

2. A person whose specialty is the breaking in or training of wild horses.
   • a. 1607, Arthur Dent, A Sermon of Repentaunce. A verie godly and profitable sermon, preached at Lee in Essex. B.L., Thomas Snodham for Roger Jackson, published 1615:

     because you are full of old festered wounds, you must have corrosive salves, for that is best for you, and the speediest way to recover your health: and forasmuch as you be rough horses, you must have a rough rider, and hard knobby timber must have hard wedges, and hard strokes with a beetle ["mallet"].

   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 77:

     Our best rough-rider had mounted him, with a view of thoroughly "taking it out of him," and I never witnessed a better display of horsemanship.

• roughrider

• “rough rider”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.