The Magnificent Mustangs of Las Colinas

In 1985, I lived in Paul's Valley, Oklahoma. My family had the opportunity to visit friends of ours in Irving, Texas, and they insisted that we needed to take a ride with them, to see the Mustangs of Las Colinas. There, I had the pleasure of viewing these full-size bronze Mustang sculptures, first-hand.

I have to tell you, it was an unforgettable experience. Seven of my eight offspring were with me, and they just couldn't get "enough" of these full-size sculptures. As amazed as my children were, I was the one who was simply awe-struck!

Photo credits for the two photos below: Mustangs of Las Colinas

Another marvelous image, this one from an informative website that is no longer online, but the photo is!

The mustangs are so realistic, that it is hard to believe they are not really in motion! As they appear to splash their way across the fountain, the water that is sprayed up from the bottom conveys the illusion of motion, and it takes a second look to convince the mind that they are, in fact, stationary.

Aren’t they just magnificent?

The design and sculpture of the Mustangs of Las Colinas spanned three continents - North America, Africa and Europe. According to the museum's website, the idea for the Mustang sculpture was conceived by Ben H. Carpenter, in Irving, Texas. Not a sculptor himself, he shared his idea for a life-sized horse sculpture, with Robert Glen, who was a Scotsman who was living in Nairobi. Ben was familiar with Glen's amazing work, and owned some of his creations.

Glen agreed to help Ben's dream of a Mustang sculpture, come into being, and in 1977 he began research to find horses that represented the look that Ben was trying to achieve. For almost a month, he intently studied the Andalusian Mustangs of southern Spain, which were considered to be the only pure strain of Mustangs that were still in existence.

He made almost fifty small-scale sculptures, and nine were selected as finalists for the project. Then, he made models of them that were a third of the size of the finished Mustangs. The sculptures went from Nairobi, Kenya to England, were they were cast in bronze.

All in all, it took almost eight years for the Mustangs to be finished. They were finally unveiled in Las Colinas in the fall of 1984. What is very interesting, is that Robert Glen, the artist who created them, did not see the finished Mustang sculptures until they were installed.

From the time that Ben Carpenter originally had the inspiration for the Mustangs, until his dream came to fruition, was about twenty-four years. That was a long time to wait, but the project was a massive undertaking. Now, thousands of people enjoy the Mustangs of Las Colinas every year. If you get the opportunity to see them, please take it. You will not be disappointed!

If you check on YouTube, there are a few videos that portray these magnificent Mustangs. We selected a short one for you to watch, but there are many others available.

Videos and photos really do NOT do them justice, as we stated earlier. I have seen them "in person", about a year after they were installed. If you are anywhere near Irving, Texas, avail yourself of the opportunity to view them first-hand.