Resident believes steel horses should be saved

While PETA probably won't get involved to save the remaining horses of the "Wild Horse Plains Herd," one man has stepped up to find out what could be done to keep the last two from going to the county dump.

Plains resident Dick Blizzard addressed the Plains Town Council last Monday during the public comment period asking for its support and to get a consensus that the two horses still on the greenway along Railroad Street should be saved. The Plains Public Works Department staff hauled one of the giant horses to the dump in June after it was found to be showing rust and coming apart. Mayor Chris Allen said it would have been a liability to keep it there and said it had deteriorated more than the others. 

"We've been admiring the horses for years," said Blizzard, who moved here from Oregon three years ago and would like to see what can be done to keep them from being discarded. Blizzard believes the horses are worth saving because they are a source of community pride and identity.

The three steel horses were designed and created by the late Kenton Pies of Plains from 2017 to 2021, when the third horse was "planted" on the greenway. Pies had hoped to help beautify the town and possibly draw tourists. The horses were made from heavy sheet metal and rebar with a concrete coating and stained. Pies first planned the project as a moneymaker, but switched to a nonprofit venture soon after beginning the first horse. 

The retired commercial artist had initially planned to make eight horses for the Wild Horse Plains Herd, but changed it to five. With little physical help and no financial aid, he settled for three. He said the third one, which was reared on its back legs, was his favorite because he had ironed out the bugs and he said it was a better looking horse. Pies passed away at age 90 last December.

Though Blizzard doesn't reside within the Plains town limits - neither did Pies - he's

willing to see if the horses can be repaired. He said it looks like they need only a cosmetic fix with some kind of sealer on them to better protect them from the elements. He said the structures are basically sound, but they do show signs of deterioration.

Allen said at the council meeting that the horses are a great community project, but added that he couldn't offer town funds to help with repairs. Pies had also asked for financial aid from the town, but was told the same thing. He did receive some monetary donations and a few donations in the form of materials, but he paid for most of it himself.

Blizzard told the council that he's concerned the town would trash the other two horses without even trying to repair them. He added that there are also other local residents who want to preserve them. "I just wanted to expose our thoughts on this and wanted them to know we want to retain what we have," said Blizzard, a retired general building contractor. He wasn't surprised at the reception from the mayor and council, but he feels that once he gets public support, he could try again for funding from the town.

Blizzard inspected the horses a couple of times and has looked over photographs of Pies' construction of the sculptures. "I believe I can see why the first horse deteriorated faster than the following two. It was a prototype and had much thinner interior structure. This builds confidence in the continued integrity of the remaining two," said Blizzard, who might be looking for financial aid, but not a large amount. He believes that once the moisture is removed from the damaged cement and replaced with weather proof materials, such as an epoxy or resin of some sort, they will be fine.

He believes the greenway sprinklers that are on them throughout the summer months are a big part of the problem. Allen disagrees, but said they would look at reconfiguring the sprinklers so they don't strike the horses. However, he said he'd have to put something in place of the grass around the sculptures that doesn'trequire water. Council member Chad Cantrell suggested Blizzard talk with the Plains School shop teacher for ideas. 

Blizzard said it's not likely that he'll be able to start before winter sets in, but anyone with ideas on saving the horses andwilling to volunteer time to work on them could call Blizzard at 406-274-0034.