Vintage coin-operated horses from department stores set free in Alberta landscape

A herd of vintage, coin-operated horses has been released into the southern Alberta landscape.

The kiddie rides, which stood outside Woolworths, Woodward's, Kresge's and Kmartbetween the 1950s and 1980s, have been transformed into an interactive outdoor installationnear the town ofMillarville, Alta.

Heliosis the culmination of a three-year "backbreaking" project by Calgary artist Lisa Brawn, who restored themechanical horsesafter a decade of neglect.

"They had wasp nests in them and all the wiring was chewed by mice, the motors were seized, all the paint was blistered and all the leather on the saddles was rotten. So it was a disaster."

Nothing that some major rewiring and a whack ofsandblasting couldn'tfix.

After removing more than 60 years worth ofpaint from the horses, Brawncovered them in silver leaf which makes them glisten in the sun.

Solar-powered beauties

The horses are still mechanical, but you don'thave to give them moneyto get them to gallop they are powered by southern Alberta's long sunny days.

"So they're completely independent just running through the field. No generators, no electrical," said Brawn.

And while you can no longer hopon their backs and ride them, the horses start moving as soon as you step towards them thanks to motion sensors that Brawn has hidden in the Prairie grass that surrounds theLeighton Art Centre.

Artistcashed RRSPs to fund project

Brawn initially purchased 30 mechanical horses in 2013 that were different shapes and sizes.

"I cashed in my RRSPs sort of my life savings just to get them in the first place," said Brawn. She jokes that now, she can "never retire."

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Brawn's big leap of faith has paid off, both financially and personally.

She was able to get her initial investment back by selling some of the horses that were still in good working condition to private collectors. Therest have appeared, in different iterations, in Calgary's art scene.

Using generators, she got several moving on the field at Fort Calgary in 2014 as part of Beakerhead.

"That was sort of a milestone in that I just got them all working."

Later that year, a grant from Alberta Foundation for the Arts allowed her to upgrade the herd so they could run on batteries and be activated by remote control for the Decidedly Jazz Dance performance, Year of the Horse.

Nowthat Brawn has them running on solarpower, she's hoping to find them a permanent home when Helios wraps up on Nov. 26 at theLeighton Art Centre.

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