Visit the Mustangs of Las Colinas Sculpture

It is a scene that appears frozen in time. The nine magnificent, larger-than-life bronze horses are immobilized in mid-stride as they splash through a stream that winds through a broad plateau of pink granite. Surrounding them on three sides are soaring towers of glass and steel, the high-rise buildings of a vibrant business center. You are on Williams Plaza in Las Colinas, experiencing one of the world's largest equestrian sculptures.

The herd of mustangs, manes flying at full gallop, are a family group: five mares, two colts, a dominant male and a younger stallion. The sense of motion is enhanced by the water fonts below the hooves, that vividly portray splashing water as they ford the stream. You approach the sculptures and walk among them.
You are allowed to touch the sculptures, and you run your fingers gently along the flowing curves. This is according to the wishes of the sculptor, Robert Glen, who designed them to be accessible to the visitor. There are no barriers between you and the artwork, it is only asked that you do not ride the free-spirited mustangs. You admire the realism in the sculpted muscle, bone and tendons of the wild horses. You marvel at the imaginative engineering in the construction and mounting of the artwork.

The Mustangs sculpture commemorates the heritage of Texas and of El Ranchito de Las Colinas, which was transformed from the rolling, grassy hills into a major center of commerce by Ben H. Carpenter, whose family homesteaded the land.
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Ben Carpenter commissioned wildlife artist Robert Glen for the mustang project in 1976. Glen created the models for the bronzes at his studio in Nairobi, Kenya. The full-size sculptures were cast at the Morris Singer Foundry in Basingstoke, England, and were completed in 1981. After careful installation, supervised by Glen, the exhibit was opened to the public in 1984.

The history of the scultptures can be learned in greater detail by visting the Mustangs of Las Colinas Museum, which is housed on the ground floor of the West Tower on the square, adjacent to the Plaza. The story is told in pictorial display and an inspiring 20-minute video depticting the process of creation of the magificent scultptures. Included in the exhibit are other works by Robert Glen. A gift shop offering commemorative souvenirs accompanies the exhibit. Admission to the Museum is free.

Our family often visits the Mustangs, sometimes for the concerts held there, as well as during the 4th-of-July fireworks display on nearby Mandalay Canal that can be seen from the Plaza. But almost any time is a good time to view this marvelous masterpiece.

The Mustangs of Las Colinas
Williams Square Plaza
5205 N. O'Connor Drive
Irving, Texas 75039

Mustangs of Las Colinas website