Bleu Horses, Metal horse sculptures on Kamp Hill near Three Forks, Montana, USA.
Bleu Horses is a set of 39 steel horse sculptures on Kamp Hill, a hillside off U.S. 287 just north of Three Forks, Montana. The figures average 8 feet (2.4 m) at the withers, with legs one-third longer than a real horse's, and are painted blue with black and white accents. Manes and tails are made of unraveled polyester rope, and twelve horses have heads mounted on ball bearings so they move in the wind.
Jim Dolan of Belgrade, Montana, spent 15 months and his own money making the 39 steel horses, installed in 2013 on Kamp Hill, land owned by Dean Folkvord of Wheat Montana. Dolan, who moved from California in 1966, chose the project on his 64th birthday. Folkvord suggested the site after Dolan mentioned at the Wheat Montana Bakery that he could not find a place for the herd.
The name comes from the blue roan coat colour, though the painted steel reads closer to grey. Manes and tails are unraveled polyester rope, 4,000 feet of it separated by hand by employees of Reach, Inc., a supported workplace for people with developmental disabilities in Montana.
The herd stands on Kamp Hill along U.S. 287 just north of mile marker 104, on 160 unfenced acres. A pull-off on the roadside and a thin trail lead up the hill to the sculptures; the ground is open grassland, so wear shoes suited to dry grass and watch for uneven footing.
The horse figures are intentionally arranged in small groups that mimic natural herd behavior, often fooling visitors at first glance. From a distance or while driving past quickly, they can appear to be real animals grazing on the hillside.
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