 |
|
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 
Wild Horses of the Outer BanksThe Outer Banks of North Carolina is one of very few places in America where wild horses still roam free, stubbornly surviving in this once remote coastal environment. Descended from spanish stock which arrived over 400 years ago, these hardy, tenacious horses have lived here since the earliest explorers and shipwrecks. In previous centuries there were thousands of these horses roaming the full length of the Outer Banks, from Shackleford Banks, all along Core Banks, Ocracoke, Hatteras, and on northward beyond Corolla on Currituck Banks. With the protected status now afforded to them, they should remain free to live as their ancestors have for centuries. They continue to capture the imagination of many people, especially horse-lovers.  The Wild Shackleford Ponies - One group of these wild horses roams freely on Shackleford Banks, near Cape Lookout (see Coastal Guide Map). This barrier island serves to isolate them, as it has for hundreds of years. The island and its 100+ wild horses, also called the Shackleford ponies for their small stature, are under the protection of the National Park Service, but visitors may come to watch and photograph these horses. Shackleford Banks is accessed from Beaufort and Harker's Island by Park Service approved private passenger ferries, or by private boat. 
The photos at left and above
right were taken from a passenger ferry on an
early morning trip to Cape Lookout, which passed
close
by Shackleford Banks. These horses were grazing
near the easternmost tip of
the island. Shackleford
is about 9 miles long, and a half mile wide,
so hiking around the island to photograph or
view these horses is not a major effort for
anyone used to such
outdoor
activity.  The Ocracoke Ponies -A far more easily accessed herd is located on the north end of Ocracoke Island, where about two dozen "banker ponies", as they are called on Ocracoke, are maintained and watched over by the National Park Service.
This
Ocracoke herd is kept within a fenced area covering 180
acres, but a corral is located next to Highway
12 south of the Hatteras ferry landing. With
parking space
for visitors, you can stop and see some of these
ponies very easily, assuming some of the "ponies" happen
to be near the parking area. The corral is double
fenced, with space between, so you will not
be able to
actually
reach or pet these animals. A viewing stand
is next to the fence where you can get high
over the fence for a better look. Corolla's Wild Horses -Wild horses can also be found north of Corolla (see Coastal Guide Map). Here they roam freely, where they can be seen if you have a 4WD to make the trip up the beach to the Carova area near the Virginia border. Visitors without a 4WD vehicle can take advantage of guided tours to see the horses.
|
|||||||||||
The Wild Horses of Corolla Finding the Wild Horses of Corolla The Wild Horses of Corolla in Pictures Gallery of WIld Horses of Corolla Related Links - Cape Lookout National Seashore Horses ShacklefordHorses.org Non-profit web site Corolla Wild Horse Fund   Beach Ramp access map and information |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
