In 991220 MMDigest Joyce Brite provides poetic opinion of an
ill-designed carousel.  There is a possibility of help for it...

If the motor is DC (runs from batteries or a plug-in DC supply), then
swapping the two wires to the motor (or perhaps even just putting the
batteries in t'other way 'round) will reverse the polarity and cause
it to rotate the opposite direction.

If it is AC (plugs in to house mains, possibly through a transformer)
then the motor is a "shaded-pole" synchronous motor.  The shading gets
it started in the right direction.  Occasionally a skilled or intrepid
craftsman can reverse the shading.  I could give hints on how it might
be done, but only if asked and if provided with some details of the
motor.

Peter Neilson