Since the age of two Satonya Hill has made her yearly visit to ride her favorite golden horse at the Flying Horses carousel in Oak Bluffs. Part of the magic for Satonya and her family was that every time her friends took their first ride on the Flying Horses, they would catch the brass ring.

The Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Society> may think it owns the Flying Horses. And of course we’re glad the living history group is under that impression. Who among us wants to start our day with, “Honey, the Wurlitzer is broken, can you spray it with WD-40 and bang the pipes?” But yes, we do individually own the 125-plus-year-old carousel. It nestles in our memories and is tucked into our hearts.

And now it’s spring again and the merry-go-round is open on weekends. Over Easter it cranked out its first ride and organ standard.

Many children are instantly enchanted by the Oak Bluffs institution known as the Flying Horses. But a recently published children’s book, When Horses Fly, gives new meaning to the horses’ flight.

One night as a young girl named Caroline struggles to fall asleep, the Flying Horses carousel appears to her outside her house. Suddenly, one of the painted horses magically flies off the carousel and lets Caroline ride her, giving her a chance to say a final goodbye to her pet horse Nutmeg, who had died months ago.