New horse sculpture installed on the Plains greenway

A new horse has arrived in Plains — but this one doesn’t gallop.

It’s a striking metal sculpture, the result of a year’s worth of work by local high school senior and designer Zayen Allen, along with Parks and Recreation Committee members Becky Fields, Kelly Dossett and Sandy Thompson, and Plains Town Councilman John Dossett. 

The newly installed piece replaces one of three original horse sculptures created over several years by the late Kenton Pies. This installation is the first in a plan to bring up to a dozen new horse sculptures to the greenway. 

Initially, the town intended to have the horses fabricated locally, but the size of the sculptures exceeded the capabilities of available equipment. As a result, production was outsourced to Norfolk Iron & Metal in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho — formerly known as Coeur d’Alene Metals — at a cost of $1,000. The project was funded through the Parks and Recreation budget. 

The first sculpture, made of heavy-gauge metal and bolted to a concrete base, stands over seven feet tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. The installation was completed by Public Works employee Cori Kerner, Committee Chair Becky Fields, Council member John Dossett, Matt Fields and Scott Bradley. 

Some of the base materials were donated by Justin Richards and installed days earlier by Fields and Kerner. 

“I think it looks great, and I’m excited to do more,” said Fields. 

Kerner added, “We still have ideas to incorporate a couple of 3-D horses.” 

Looking ahead, the Plains High School shop class will contribute to the project by designing future horse sculptures to be placed along the greenway. 

    The first horse sculpture is installed with more planned for the future. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)