The sculpture, standing more than 10ft tall and weighing nearly a tonne, was created by the artist Damian O’Connor from Taverham.
It would appear unexpectedly on roundabouts across the county, leaving motorists intrigued.
The sculpture on a roundabout on the NDR (Image: Newsquest)
Following the artists’ retirement, the sculpture was sold for £580 at a fine art, jewellery and interiors auction held at Mander Auctioneers in Sudbury.
Prior to the sale, auctioneer James Mander said he thought the piece would sell for close to £1,000 but acknowledged there was a “limited market” due to its size.
The sculpture was subject to some controversy in the past, with Norfolk County Council ordering Mr O’Connor to stop putting the horse on roundabouts for safety reasons in 2017.
The horse was a regular feature on roads around Norwich (Image: Newsquest)
After working with the council, the structure made of steel, wood and reeds continued to be spotted on several roads and roundabouts off the NDR near Norwich.
The artist revealed that he was approached many times by police when moving the structure, including an incident in 2019 where he complained about the officer’s actions.
“I like to believe that when people see it, they get a feeling about it,” Mr O’Connor said at the time.
The wooden horse spotted on an NDR roundabout in 2017 (Image: Newsquest)
“Whether that is memories of their grandfather using horses to plough fields or another feeling.
“Although this is art, it is also similar to real horses in the fact that it moves and keeps moving.”
The artist decided not to name the sculpture, encouraging the public to give it personal significance and transforming it into “a shared symbol rather than a fixed narrative”.
The sculpture symbolises the substantial contribution heavy horses have made to human history for thousands of years.