A fun, spirited group of stallions will soon be gracing the streets of Scottsdale. Life-size, fiberglass stallions painted by local artists — sponsored by the Rotary Club of Scottsdale Foundation — will make their way into the city to raise money for local charities and highlight businesses and artists within the community.

Similar events have taken place in other cities like pigs in Seattle; bears in Los Altos, Calif. and Anchorage, Ala.; bulls in Chicago and even Gromit the Dog in Bristol, England, according to a press release.

Charitable funds raised for each of these events range from $150,000 to £2.3 million as the animal art creates excitement with residents, as well as draws visitors to view the artistic designs and frequent local businesses, the press release explained.

The stallions will be leased to local businesses or individuals who sponsor a horse. They will be placed where their sponsoring business chooses from January 2023 through early April of 2023.

A “scavenger hunt” type of map will be made available to residents and visitors alike, to help find all of the stallions. It is even rumored stallions will make cameo appearances in area parades, the release noted.

The finale will be the Stallion Stampede Gala Auction to be held on April 15, 2023, at Royal Arabians where the stallions will be sold. Historically, the pieces of art are purchased for as much as $60,000. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of each horse will be directed to a charity, with half going to a cause of the sponsor’s choice.

The enthusiasm is growing as the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, AZ Advances, City of Scottsdale, The Museum of the West, WestWorld of Scottsdale, Experience Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Charros and several other local businesses have stepped up to support this fun, philanthropic cause.

The club is recruiting local artists to paint the stallions, the release stated. If you are a local artist and would like to have your design considered, go to www.stallionstampede.com/artists.

There are still a limited number of stallions available for sponsorship. If you are interested in sponsoring one of the stallions, contact Charlie Kester at horsetradercharlie@gmail.com. For additional information please go to stallionstampede.com