Horses

An essential part of the Carousel restoration is the 28 unique horses. Each horse has been stripped of its paint, fiberglass and other materials that have been used over the years to repair it. 

Restoration work has been undertaken by local artisans and tradespeople following the guidelines produced by Lisa Parr, our world-renowned carousel restoration expert.

Once the repair work was completed, each horse painted in a manner that will emphasize its features as close to factory colours as possible. Finally, the finished horse has been coated with varnish as a means of protecting everything that has been done.

The hanging stirrups have been replaced with fixed metal steps attached to the support pipe. This change was made to protect the horses from the friction of the hanging stirrups. The final step will be the installation of the jewels along the sides of all of the horses. These jewels have been prepared by volunteer Linda Siczkar.

This included:

• The removal of deteriorated or rotted materials and their replacement

• Insertion of wood panels to fill any gaps between sections of the horse

• Trimming and sanding of those inserts

• Securing of any loose sections or parts

• Carving of replacement sections, particularly the tail and mane

• Overall sanding of the horse