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All the United States Oregon Portland Portland Horse Rings

Portland Horse Rings

Tiny horses tethered to antique rings are scattered around the city.

Portland, Oregon

Added By
Kerry Wolfe
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Toy horse tied to a sidewalk ring in Portland, Oregon.   piddix
Toy horse tied to a sidewalk ring in Portland, Oregon.   piddix
A tiny mare and foal.   Francis Storr
A petite palomino horse.   Benjamin Chan
Tiny horse.   Michael Schwern
Headless horse.   Jim Fischer
At the corner of NW Overton St & NW 23rd Ave (In front of the Starbucks)   Linel / Atlas Obscura User
  dbcoopersghost / Atlas Obscura User
The herd has expanded to include non-horse members, too.   Francis Storr
  ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
Ring with out tethered horse   Captcurrent / Atlas Obscura User
November 2021…i had to bring my own horse. Alberta Street.   Qlyss / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Tiny horses have been taking over Portland's streets for decades. Look down, and you'll likely find some tethered to one of the antique horse rings scattered throughout the sidewalks.

Scott Wayne Indiana, a Portland resident, began tethering toy steeds to the horse rings in 2005. His quirky personal art project soon took off. Before long, other Portland residents were adding their own tiny horses to the herd. Now, many of the city’s horse rings have plastic ponies attached to them.

Locals have long been tethering toy horses to the rings scattered throughout the city. The trend shot off at a gallop after Indiana's Portland Horse Project gained traction. More than a decade since Indiana's first toy horses descended upon the streets, people still have yet to rein in their enthusiasm for the project. People leave treats, tack, hay, and riders for the little equines (and their occasional dinosaur friends). One Portland couple even got engaged after meeting because of one of the horses.

In addition to adding a fun touch of equine whimsy to the streets, the Portland Horse Project also preserves an often overlooked part of the city’s heritage. The horse rings date to the 19th and early 20th centuries and hark back to a time when horse-drawn carriages were the main method of transportation.

Over time, Portland began losing these small relics of its horsey history as construction tore up its streets and sidewalks. But in the 1970s, one of its residents began complaining about the lost rings and thus spurred their preservation. Now, the rusted circles are protected and must be replaced following any construction.

Related Tags

Horses Art Animals Statues Public Art

Community Contributors

Added By

Kerry Wolfe

Edited By

ski queen, Qlyss, Linel, dbcoopersghost...

  • ski queen
  • Qlyss
  • Linel
  • dbcoopersghost
  • Captcurrent
  • jsmalls

Published

February 20, 2018

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Sources
  • https://www.facebook.com/pg/PortlandHorseProject/about/?ref=page_internal
  • http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/05/a_northwest_portland_couple_me.html
  • http://www.horsenation.com/2013/06/06/22-tiny-horses-tethered-to-the-streets-of-portland-oregon/
Portland Horse Rings
Portland, Oregon
United States
45.525101, -122.682171
Visit Website

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