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94 saratoga living
⁄ JULY-AUGUST 2019
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welcome committee (clockwise, from top left) The carousel in Congress Park is home to 28 carved horses; the “Welcome To Saratoga” statue on the corner of Union Avenue and Circular Street, featuring Native Dancer; a statue in front of Empire State College; (opposite, clockwise from top left) the iron horse in front of the Skidmore Apartments; the driftwood horse created by Rita Dee at Prime at Saratoga National Golf Club; the Skidmore Apartments’ statue; the horse outside of Saratoga Race Course.
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ack in the 1980s, the only horse statue I remember there being in Saratoga Springs’ city limits was a perky pony on the roof of a diner. Now we’ve got four-legged neigh-bors (sorry, couldn’t resist), all over town. Famous racehorses started popping up in the 1990s: first, the statue of Sea Hero in the paddock at Saratoga Race Course, then Seabiscuit at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Saratoga adores Mr. Biscuit; his rags-to-riches story made it all the way to the silver screen and scenes from the movie were filmed right here. But the biggest herd came in the aughts, when Saratoga went a little horse crazy. In 2002, the Kaydeross Park carousel, with 28 carved horses, found a home in Congress Park, and that same year, 24 artist-decorated fiberglass horses were installed on sidewalks and street corners all over town. Five years later, a total of 34 artsy horses were trotted out, and a dozen are still kicking. Favorite selfie ops include the brickpatterned horse on Church Street; the horse made from Pepsi cans at the Saratoga Springs Visitors Center; and Scoop, a multi-colored stud at the Saratoga Springs City Center. Is there another stampede on the way? I hope so. That diner’s pony giddyupped into the sunset. Maybe it’s time for another rooftop horse.
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