Sculptures by Gerrit Santing - Exloo

Skeeper and his dog
A skeeper or scheper is a shepherd who watches over the flock of sheep. For centuries, sheep farming was of great importance to the village here on the moors. In this romantic statue, you see not only the shepherd in long coat, with a big stick and his faithful dog beside him, but also 2 lambs in a shoulder bag. The relationship between the shepherd and his dog symbolises the cooperation and trust between man and animal. The sculpture is made of concrete and was created in 1988.

The Farmer's horn
An artistic interpretation from 2004 of the historical musical instrument the farmer's horn, which used to be widely used here as a 'signal instrument'. If someone blew the farmer's horn, it was a sign to the rest of the community, for example at the start of the harvest. A real farmer's horn was made from the horn of a cow and was actually about 25 to 45 cm long. The Boer horn symbolised unity and cooperation within the community.
(This statue is on Schoolstraat, directly behind the Schaapskooi and diagonally in front of 't Hallenhoes)

Gerrit Santing (Borger, 1914 - 2005) initially had a bicycle shop in Borger. Together with his wife, he bought a café in Vlagtwedde in 1953 and moved to Roden in 1964. There he started as a self-taught sculptor from 1968. He mainly made sculptures that tell something about Drenthe culture or history.