ten years of creating the largest horse sculptures in the world – .

It’s almost 20 years since I sat in the doorway of Andy Scott’s art studio in the Maryhill area of ​​Glasgow.

His best-known work at the time was a steel sculpture of a horse, visible from the M8 motorway.

Measuring 14 feet tall, it was only a fraction of the size of the sculptures he planned.

“That’s when I was first approached through the Scottish channels,” he says.

“I think they were motivated by the success of the Falkirk Wheel and wanted something just as iconic for the area.

“I took the title – The Kelpies – and came back with some ideas. I’m not sure it’s what they expected, but they had the vision to make it happen.

Richard Millar, chief operating officer at Scottish Canals, says it was a challenge.

“There were times when people said we shouldn’t make giant art, but instead dedicate it to hospitals or schools. But that’s not what the money was for.

“The money was to create living monuments and that’s why we secured Scotland’s largest lottery grant of £25 million to create Helix Park and the Kelpies.”

The project faced many challenges, financial and practical.

Transforming the plans into two 30 meter tall horses was a combined feat of art and engineering, involving more than 600 tonnes of steel.

The Kelpies not only took inspiration from the region’s industry, but also used what remained of its traditional skills to create the structure.

A small army of people were involved, including around 100 one-off jobs during the construction phase.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m the center forward who scored the goal, but there’s a whole team behind us,” says Andy Scott.

“Hundreds of people were involved, including engineers and landscape architects, and I’m just proud to have been a part of it all. »

He says the appointment of manufacturing company SH Structures in Yorkshire was the moment he realized the project would work.

“They came to my studio in Glasgow and I visited them in Yorkshire,” he says. “They understood this and methodically scanned the original models.

“Another pivotal moment was when one of the lead structural engineers, Nick Cooper, said you focus on sculpture and we’ll focus on structure.

“That’s when it started to take shape and I realized it was going to take a while but it was going to be good.”

The Kelpies were officially launched in 2014 and, as expected, brought worldwide attention to the region. One of the first visitors was the Queen, who was introduced inside the structure by its creator.

“As we were leaving, two planes flew overhead and made a heart sign in the sky,” says Andy.

“The Queen said, what a special moment, and I had to agree.”

Since then, around 40 million observations have been made from the M9 motorway.

Around 800,000 people saw them on site and over 10 years they attracted 7.3 million visitors to Falkirk and Grangemouth.

They appeared on banknotes and in a Chinese advertising campaign.

And of course, they’ve been filmed numerous times, most recently under the International Space Station.

Andy and his Dutch wife Hanneke now live in the United States, but they still follow the Kelpie fortunes from afar.

“We see posts almost every day on social media. Some are from drones, others are simply selfies with the Kelpies. And we still get messages from people telling us about their visit.

“It’s a great thing to see them get such global coverage. “

But he admits the downside of creating the world’s largest equine sculptures is that he will always be in their shadow. At least, in Scotland.

“This is one of the reasons why Hanneke and I decided to try another country for a while,” he says.

“It’s a great business card – and we’re very proud of it – but sometimes you need a little distance.”

This weekend Andy is back in Scotland and will be attending a special event at the Kelpies to mark their 10th anniversary.

And his hopes for their future?

“I just hope they get better and better.” I hope that they will be maintained and that the site will continue to attract visitors and that their reputation will grow internationally.

They have become ambassadors for Scotland and I hope they remain proud for years to come.