The Wild Horses of Corolla
Wild
horses no longer roam free in Corolla.
Photo: Courtesy of Drew
Wilson
Corolla's wild horses are part of the mys
tique of the Outer Banks: a symbol of the
roots, endurance, and resilience of an isolated land and its tough inhabitants. They
are also the symbol of the toll taken by
breathtaking growth in Corolla.
Visitors to the northernmost
stretches of barrier beach no longer see
pastoral views of horses grazing on golf
courses or newly planted lawns. They
no longer see the majestic beasts loping on oceanside sands. They won't
even see closeups of the few that were
once corralled at the Currituck Beach
Lighthouse.
There are no horses left in Corolla.
They are now fenced in the Currituck
National Wildlife Refuge.
Believed by many to be descen
dants of Spanish mustangs, the wild
horses have the compact, stocky confirmation and, according to one scientist,
the genetic markers of the Barb horses
that were brought to the Outer Banks
as early as 1523 by Spanish explorers.
One native Outer Banker who has studied the "Banker ponies" said they may
be the oldest breed of horse in North
America. Though the horses have Spanish origins, they are of a breed all their
own, due to nearly 400 years as an isolated species. The horses are recognized as a significant cultural and
historical resource by the state of North
Carolina.
Before development in Corolla
intensified in the mid and late 1980s,
wild horses ranged freely among the
sea grasses and dunes of the northern
barrier islands. A late discovery for
developers, the area didn't have electricity until 1968, telephone service until
1974, or a public paved road until 1984.
Tourists driving on the new road were
charmed that undomesticated horses
milled freely in plain view. Less than 10
years later, horses were lounging in
shade under rental cottage decks, nosing through garbage cans, and strolling
nonchalantly through the grocery
store's automatic door. Tourists took to
feeding and petting them or attempt
ing to. Close calls with horse bites and
kicks became part of the local lore.
But as the area grew, the interaction
between horses and humans became
more dangerous. After the road
between Duck and Corolla was made
public in 1984, 17 horses were killed in
vehicle accidents in just four years.
A group of local citizens established
the Corolla Wild Horse Fund in 1989 to
protect the animals after three pregnant
mares were killed. The group rallied
public support, managing to have the
county pass an ordinance to help protect the horses from harm. The wild
horses, in fact, became the area's most
popular attraction.
Still, horse-fund volunteers and
staffers were unable to protect their
charges. After a poll revealed that most
people wanted to preserve the horses
in their own environment instead of
relocating them, the fund erected a
mileandahalflong fence, stretching
from sound to sea near where the pave
ment ends in Corolla. The idea was not
to enclose the wild animals but to allow
them to roam freely but safely in the
more than 1,600 acres of public and private land north of the fence. On March
24, 1995, the horses were herded
behind the fence. But the Corolla wild
horse story was not yet over.
Like clever children, some of the
herd, which numbered 100 by then,
strayed around the fence up to Virginia,
where they were not welcome. Other
horses, led by a particularly stubborn
stallion, began sneaking back into
Corolla Village. They were always
herded back home, but the few recalcitrant horses always found a way out. In
1999 the Corolla Wild Horse Fund took
the wandering horses to the private
Dews Island in Currituck Sound, where
they had 400 acres to graze. Today
there are no horses on Dews Island, but
65 horses stay behind the fence and
roam the vast area between the off
road ramp and Carova.
The horses are better protected
than ever. The staff at the Corolla Wild
Horse Fund is responsible for oversee
ing the health and safety of the herd.
Volunteers are needed to help with
activities such as a census, marking the
horses, and taking health samples. The
Corolla Wild Horse Fund Office is at the
Currituck County Satellite Building at
1123 Ocean Trail in Corolla proper. The
office phone number is (252)
453 8002. The mailing address is
P.O. Box 361, Corolla, NC 27927, or you
can visit www.corollawildhorses.com.