IF YOU’VE ever driven westbound on 465 where it begins to curve north past the Kentucky Avenue exit, you may have been startled by the stallion to your right that looks like it’s about to gallop right onto the highway. That’s understandable, given its enormity: roughly 17 feet long by 13 feet high (not counting the base, which adds another 5 feet). For comparison, that’s bigger than the average sedan. But a glance as you speed by can’t do it justice. Known colloquially as the Shinn Horse, it sits on the grounds of Horizons Apartments just next to the playground and was commissioned by the complex’s owner around 1998. “It was a tribute to the Colts,” says property manager Tammy, adding that “it’s great advertising.” Also, appropriately for Indianapolis, it’s constructed from old car parts, the body from metal and the mane and tail from tires, a fact that belies the smooth, graceful craftsmanship. The original (traveling) artist, Robert Shinn, is a bit elusive. “He’s just one of those guys who is extremely talented … and he just moves around,” says Tammy. In 2024, the horse was repainted from brown to a more realistic, dimensional black and white by local artist and teacher Lauren Fennelly, who goes by Rosie the Artist. Fennelly’s delicate, painstaking work adds dynamism. All are welcome to stop by Horizons Apartments to take a closer look at the Shinn Horse.
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