There’s a new bell of the ball in northeastern Colorado Springs.

“Belle” is the recently erected 5,000-pound steel sculpture of a Percheron draft horse by world-renowned Scottish sculptor Andy Scott. She now towers 15 feet high in Norwood Development Group’s new Percheron, a planned community at East Woodmen Road and Banning Lewis Parkway.

Scott, who now lives in Los Angeles, is known for his enormous and iconic horse sculptures; he’s created about two dozen around the globe. People might know him best for “The Kelpies” in Falkirk, Scotland, a pair of 100-feet tall, 300-ton horse heads. The largest equine sculpture in the world has attracted millions of visitors every year since its debut in 2014.

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“People always assume I must have grown up with horses, but that’s not the case,” Scott said. “They’re just a muse. I’m challenged by them as a subject. And they strike such a deep chord with the public. Horses go back thousands of years in our history. There’s definitely a joy to tap into.”

The new sculpture, created with 21/4 tons of welded and galvanized mild steel, is Scott’s second in Colorado. The first was a 2014 sculpture of Ullr, the Norse god of winter, commissioned by the town of Breckenridge in conjunction with its annual Ullr Festival.

“We saw an artist who could capture the power and grace of a horse of this magnitude,” said Tim Seibert, senior vice president of Norwood Development Group. “To see it on site is stunning and it accomplished our goal to bring out the history of the ranch in a meaningful way.”

The sculpture pays homage to Ruth Banning, who owned Banning-Lewis Ranch, once on the same land as Percheron.

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Banning’s father established Banning Ranch, southeast of the Springs, in 1897. He also owned Union Ice and Coal Co., and delivered its two products to customers around the Pikes Peak region via Percherons, the French draft horses he raised on his ranch.

After he died, his son took over the two businesses. When he died a couple of years later, in 1916, his sister, Ruth, stepped in. In 1917, she sold the ranch for land 10 miles east of the Springs. Several years later, she married Raymond “Pinky” Lewis and formed Banning-Lewis Ranch, which eventually grew to 30,000 acres. She ran the coal and ice business for many years and became president of Colorado Coal and Ice Association, an unusual position for a woman to hold in the 1920s and ’30s. She also served on the Colorado Springs school board and city council.

“She played a big role early on in promoting Colorado Springs and trying to give back to the community where she lived,” Siebert said.

After Ruth and her husband died, the land was sold off. The city of Colorado Springs annexed 24,000 acres in 1988 and Norwood eventually bought the rest in 2014.

“It’s (the sculpture) in honor of Ruth and her accomplishments,” Seibert said. “Percherons are sturdy, hardworking, graceful horses. How do you epitomize and showcase that? We wanted to do it through sculpture but believe those characteristics are representative of Ruth and the city’s early pioneers. It’s a nod to our history and to today — those are still values we want to see in our community and leadership.”

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Scott visited in January, when he got a feel for the region and saw some sights, including the proposed location of the sculpture. He sat down to do some sketching and Belle emerged.

“I tried to convey the dynamism and strength of the animal,” he said. “Perchrons were draft horses, so I wanted to give some idea of energy and movement, like it was at work or coming back to the pasture after a day of work. I’ve sculpted the tail and mane as blowing in the wind. I put a nice turn in her head so she looks down toward the viewer. It’s more exciting to look at than a static horse standing there.”

Scott’s infatuation with horses began with a Clydesdale, when his sculpture design was selected for a public art installation in Scotland in 1997. It became a well-known landmark and lay the groundwork for his reputation. Several years later, he created two more Clydesdale sculptures for two Australian exhibits.

“Before you know it you become known for it,” he said. “It intrigues me to this day. You learn more about their anatomy with each job. The way I sculpt them isn’t about anatomical perfection. They never get easier. They’re always a challenge, which I enjoy.”

Contact the writer: 636-0270

Contact the writer: 636-0270