It seems like it’s been a good year for the Corolla Wild Horses. A new foal, Ceres, has just joined the herd. Herd managers put her age today (Thursday) at three day old.
That’s seven foals for the year so far, although unfortunately one did die of a bacterial infection. That was Charlie the first foal born this year.
But the other foals seem to be doing well and that’s good news for the longterm health of the herd.
Because the Corolla herd are wild horses, contact with people is very limited and life in nature can be difficult. Even with those difficulties though, the herd has managed to thrive. It’s difficult to get an accurate count of the herd size, but a good guess is around 120 horses.
The Corolla horses are a genetically unique breed. Testing has shown they are direct descendents from the mustangs of the Spanish Conquistadores. The only other herd of horses that match the genetic markers of the Corolla horses is the herd on Shackleford Banks.
The Corolla herd lives in the 4WD area of the Currituck Banks—Carova. That is the 11 miles of beach, sand dunes and maritime forest north of Corolla. There are no paved roads in the area, although there are homes and sandy roads among the dunes. The beach serves as the main road for the area.
To preserve the herd, there are protections for the horses enforceable by fines—and citations are handed out for violations.
First of all, stay 50’ away from the horses. This is for the protection of horse and human. These are truly wild animals—they’re not mean or vicious, but they also are not particularly aware of protecting humans. The weigh between 800-1000 pounds, and a mare is not going to want a human around their foal. Even more dangerous, when stallions are fighting for control of a harem, the combat is brutal and they will not be aware of people.
Secondly—do not feed them. Human food will kill them. In the past five years, at least won members of the herd have died as undigested human food caused a fatal colic.
For anyone in the Carova, take you camera, take pictures, but remember to keep you distance.
There is always some good news on the Outer Banks. Create your own great time while staying in a Brindley Beach Vacations home.