Jill MedingerThe towering Percheron draft horse, symbolic of the resilient spirit of the Colorado plains, is the successful collaboration of Norwood Development and sculptor Andy Scott.
On the expansive eastern horizon of Colorado Springs, where the prairie begins its slow rise toward the distant mountains, a powerful new landmark has taken its permanent post. It is a striking figure: a fifteen-foot-tall, five-thousand-pound Percheron draft horse forged in steel, named “Belle.” This magnificent sculpture, commissioned by Norwood Development Group, is more than just a grand piece of public art; it marks a new community that shares its name, Percheron, and serves as a timeless tribute to the resilient spirit that first tamed this land.
Photo credits: Owen McClain, Blue Owl Photography
The intersection of Woodmen Road and Banning Lewis Parkway, once a landscape defined by the vast, historic Banning Lewis Ranches, is now the site of the towering symbol. The choice of artist, Andy Scott, was as intentional as the choice of subject. The Scottish sculptor is internationally celebrated for his colossal, figurative works, particularly his equine subjects, which include thebreathtaking one-hundred-foot-tall “Kelpies” in his native Scotland (see Monumental Horses, EQ Living, Fall 2014). Scott possesses a singular ability to imbue cold, industrial steel with a sense of warm vitality and enduring grace, transforming tons of welded material into living, dynamic forms that seem poised between a moment of rest and an impending burst of energy. Scott, well-known for creating pieces that not only exist in but acknowledge the landscape where they’re placed, is also passionate about paying tribute to the horses that shaped the land.
Scott meticulously crafted “Belle” from two-and-a-quarter tons of galvanized mild steel, shaping its heavy frame and powerful musculature to convey both the brute strength of a working draft horse and the innate nobility of the animal. As he described his artistic intention, he sought to convey “the dynamism and strength” of the animal, sculpting the tail and mane as if they were caught in a perpetual prairie wind and setting a gentle turn in her head, so she appears to be looking down toward the viewer. The effect is immediate and powerful: “Belle” is not merely a likeness; she is the embodiment of sturdy determination, an ideal reflection of the pioneering characteristics that shaped this very region.
The heart of this tribute lies in the rich and often unsung history of the land itself. The new Percheron community is deliberately rooted in the heritage of the sprawling Banning Lewis Ranches, which once covered thousands of acres across the plains. And at the center of that heritage was a unique visionary: Ruth Banning.
A pioneer and an entrepreneurial force, Ruth Banning was anything but ordinary for her time. She was highly educated, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College. Following the death of her brother, she returned to Colorado Springs to assist with funeral arrangements before stepping into the family business. She took over the management of two critical businesses: the Banning Ranch and the Union Ice and Coal Company. This was a remarkable feat for a woman in the early 20th century, and Banning embraced the challenge, famously stating there was no reason a woman could not successfully run a manufacturing business.
Photos Courtesy of Pike’s Peak Library District
To operate her thriving coal and ice delivery service, Ruth Banning raised and utilized the strong, dependable Percheron horses on her ranch, employing their formidable power to haul essential goods across the Pikes Peak region. These horses were the living engines of her successful enterprise. Her influence was not limited to commerce; she was also a dedicated civic leader who was elected to the Colorado Springs City Council and served on the school board, with a lifelong commitment to the betterment of her community. As Tim Seibert, Senior Vice President of Norwood Development Group, noted, the sculpture deliberately honors Ruth Banning, whose accomplishments, like the Percherons, represented the hard work and fellowship of the region’s early pioneers.
The Percheron community itself is conceived as an iconic mixed-use village, a thoughtful extension of the land’s storied past into a promising future. As the first major venture into a new land holding of the former Banning-Lewis Ranches, the developers were meticulous in creating an aesthetic that speaks to the “richness of heritage” while providing modern sophistication and a connection to the natural environment.
Residents will enjoy a blend of natural tranquility and urban convenience, where access to the Woodmen Regional Trail links the new village to the broader trail network, encouraging people to explore and engage with the land. “That’s how we create places that have a tie back to the richness of heritage and bring that forward in everything we do. It’s exciting for us that we have all these trails within the project, so residents are really connected to the open space and trails right outside their door,” Seibert states.
The official dedication of the sculpture, held on a clear evening in September, formally introduced “Belle” to the community she is meant to symbolize and inspire. The permanent marker ensures the enduring legacy of Ruth Banning and the pioneering Percheron horses will greet every resident and visitor who travels through this piece of Colorado history, bridging the land’s storied past with a vibrant new era on the horizon.