Hi all!  Just my two cents: in Belgium, all carrousels I know turn
counter-clockwise; even here, we had the ring game as described by
Bob Moore (even on so-called carrousels 'galopants' - with galloping
horses, that is).

I once heard that the different direction of rotation in Great Britain
has something to do with the fact that the correct side to mount a horse
is the left side;: so, they made the carrousels turn clockwise to avoid
mounting the horse from the right side.  (Others relate this also to
the fact that they drive on the left side in Great Britain, but the
relation is quite clear to me.)

Best wishes,

Bjorn Isebaert
Belgium