Corolla Wild Horse Fund

3 days ago

The horses look extra fluffy when it’s really cold because their thick winter hair stands up on end to trap body heat and insulate them from the outside air. A nap in the sun is a good way to stay warm too! Horses are most comfortable during cooler weather, so even though this cold snap may feel pretty brutal to us they really don’t mind it at all. 🧣

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

No snow for us today - just lots of rain! ☔️

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

On the night Junior died I remember looking up at the sky and being awestruck by how beautiful it was. One of the worst days of my life, but the stars were still bright and twinkling, just as they had been the night he was born and as they were every other night for the next twenty years of his life. It was the same sky that all of his ancestors - countless generations of Banker horses, had lived under.

Those stars welcomed Elsa to the world the week before Junior died, and they were the stars that lit the night sky when we buried her just two days later. Stars that Flint spent forty extraordinary years under, stars that would witness the worst (and also the best) of humanity the night Bullwinkle was killed, stars that Raymond brayed beneath, stars that blanketed the sky when Moxie lived in the shadow of the lighthouse, and later on Dews Island.

They were the same stars that guided ships with hulls full of ponies across a dark, vast ocean hundreds of years ago.

There’s a lot of comfort and beauty to be found in these inevitabilities. The sun will rise, the tides will shift, horses will be born and horses will die, and if we’re lucky we get to continue being a part of this incredible cycle of life - even on the worst of days.

If there is one thing that 2024 taught us, it’s that life does go on.

Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. Herd management takes a lot of work and resources, even when the approach is as hands-off as possible. There’s a balance to be found between letting nature take its course and protecting a highly-endangered breed. From daily observations and data collection, habitat preservation, DNA research, and public education to new fencing at the rescue farm and continuing education for our staff, it all comes together to ensure the future is secure for the Corolla Bankers.

None of this would be possible without your continued support. We are so grateful and humbled by your trust in us to carry out this mission and to always do what’s best for the horses. We leaned heavily on that support this year. Every kind note slipped into an envelope with a donation check, every tearful hug and memory shared at an open house, every thoughtful Facebook comment - it kept us going. Thank you.

So, as this year comes to a close let us remember those we lost while looking forward to those who are yet to be born. The world will keep turning.

Rest easy Elsa, Luna, Junior, Moxie, Bullwinkle, Mocha, Flint, Raymond, Mimosa, Sea King, and our sweet barn cat Luna. Your legacies are truly a blessing.

Wishing all of you the very best in the New Year. ✨

***********

Our year-end fundraiser is almost over, but if you make a donation today it will still have double the impact thanks to a very generous $40,000 match - www.corollawildhorses.com/support-corolla-wild-horse-fund/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

4 weeks ago

Our goal is to keep every Corolla Banker wild for the entirety of its life by practicing purposeful, science-based management and allowing them to live as naturally as possible in an ever-changing (and ever-challenging) environment. Over the course of their lives the wild horses will sustain all kinds of injuries - bites and kicks from other horses, muscle sprains and hoof abscesses, eye injuries, and many other things that in a domestic setting would require veterinary care but for a wild horse is just normal life. They are incredibly tough and resilient and very rarely require help from humans.

But sometimes, in the case of life-threatening illness, injury, or habituation, it becomes necessary for our team to intervene. If our veterinarian determines that an injury or illness will result in death, prevent a horse from keeping up with its harem or getting to food and water, or if a habituated behavior becomes dangerous for the horse and/or people, then we will make an effort to capture the horse for treatment, rehabilitation, or euthanasia if that’s the most humane course of action. Once a horse is removed from the wild it can’t be returned due to the risk of spreading disease to the unvaccinated herd. They also tend to domesticate very quickly, especially if they are gravely ill and require a lot of hands-on care. Removal is the absolute last resort and we will do everything in our power to avoid it, but when it does become necessary it’s important that we have a safe place to take these horses.

That’s where our farm, located on the Currituck mainland, comes into play.

CWHF was fortunate enough to be in a position to purchase the 31-acre property in 2018 and since then it has become a sanctuary for any Banker horse that needs it. In the years since purchasing the farm we’ve steadily been making improvements so that it is set up to intake wild horses safely, provide spaces for veterinary care, rehabilitation, and training, and then provide a comfortable place for them to live for as long as they need it. Because most of the horses on the farm were removed from the wild due to severe injury or illness and many of them are older, they often require on-going, higher levels of care for their entire lives. This can range from daily anti-inflammatories, a specialized diet, corrective hoof trimming, and lots of things in between. Many of them also have behavioral quirks that can make them difficult and sometimes even dangerous to handle if approached the wrong way. The farm is a permanent sanctuary for these horses, and provides them with a place to live where they will be safe, cared for, and enriched in ways that are individually tailored to their personalities and physical limitations.

The farm is currently home to 20 Banker horses, all of them very special in their own way.

Brio, who was orphaned at seven months old and nearly died from malnutrition and pneumonia, will be four in July. He has grown up into a healthy, friendly, beautiful young horse that has a bright future ahead of him. He is smart and enjoys learning new things, and one day he may even be adopted out to the right person. But in the meantime we can take our time with his training and ensure that he will be well-adjusted, easy to handle, and confident so that he will have the right foundation to be successful in whatever may be in store for him.

Rita is 18, and was removed from the wild shortly after birth due to deformities in her hind legs that would have made life very painful and short for her. Quick intervention gave veterinarians the opportunity to correct the issues enough to where specialized hoof care has kept her sound and comfortable. Once weaned, Rita was adopted out to a wonderful person who loved her dearly. Sadly, Rita’s person was diagnosed with a terminal illness when Rita was ten years old but before she passed away she made sure that Rita came back to us so that she would be safe for the rest of her life. Our policy is that we will always take back any adopted horse, no questions asked - they all have a permanent home with us if needed. Rita is kind and gentle, and while she can’t do outreach off the farm anymore due to her physical limitations she continues to be one of the best ambassadors we have. Lots of kids have learned how to groom a horse thanks to Rita!

Arrow is in his 20s, and unfortunately had to be removed from the wild after developing very dangerous food aggression due to being fed. He is a perfect example of why the farm is so important, because he can be very dangerous in certain situations and would be a liability to have on most normal farms. But because we have a facility that can safely house him and a staff and veterinary team that can handle him he has a permanent home with us where he will be happy, enriched, and cared for (on his own terms!) for the rest of his life. And we owe him that - it is not his fault that he had to be removed from the wild, and it is not his fault that he behaves the way he does. He also serves as an example of why it’s so important to follow the rules - feeding the wild horses has very real consequences, and Arrow is living proof of that.

June was rescued a couple years ago after contracting pythiosis, a fungal infection that is fatal if not treated quickly and aggressively. June was taken to North Carolina State University where she underwent surgery and then spent about a month in the hospital recovering. June is healthy now, and in training to be an outreach horse. She is also being saddle trained, and is learning how to drive and pull a cart too. June will stay with us for the rest of her life because she is so kind and safe - she is a great ambassador for her breed and a very important part of our education program. Her sire Roamer was as well, and it’s pretty neat that she can carry on that legacy. Of course we wish that June had stayed healthy and wild, but the life she is living now has just as much meaning, impact, and value.

These are just a few of the horses who are alive and well today because we have the resources and facilities to care for them, and that is thanks to your continued support.

The farm was a long time coming, and the culmination of decades of hard work and advocacy by a lot of people. Just because a Banker horse has to be removed from the wild doesn’t mean that it becomes any less valuable or worthy of our time and resources. Every single one of them continues to serve a very important role after domestication by representing their wild counterparts and serving as examples of the important work we do. Visiting the farm allows people to get up close and personal with this special breed in a safe, respectful way and those connections translate into a better understanding of how fragile life in the wild can be and how important it is for all of us to work together to protect the wild herd and their habitat.

The farm is one of the best ways to see your contributions at work. Every bale of hay, every bottle of medicine, all of our emergency response equipment from trucks and trailers to fence panels and tow straps, and every single horse that is standing out in a pasture right now enjoying the warm sunshine is there because of you. Please consider making a donation today - it literally saves lives!

Make a donation: www.corollawildhorses.com/one-time-donations/

Sponsor a rescued horse: www.corollawildhorses.com/horse-sponsorships/

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

Play it cool this Christmas like Riptide and our CEO with our new Corolla Wild Horse Fund beanie. 😎🎄

Get your orders in this weekend for delivery in time for Christmas! Giving a horse sponsorship or membership is a great and thoughtful holiday gift as well!

Shop the beanie: www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/beanie-corolla-wild-horse-fund/

Gift a sponsorship: www.corollawildhorses.com/horse-sponsorships/

Gift a membership: www.corollawildhorses.com/memberships/annual-memberships/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

The Wild Horse Management Plan, a cooperative agreement signed between CWHF, Currituck County, the state of North Carolina, and US Fish and Wildlife Service, contains specific action items regarding the establishment of an ancestry as well as on-going research into the genetic makeup of the Corolla herd. Over the last two decades DNA samples were taken when feasible, but resources and technology never allowed for a wide-scale study of the entire herd. However, in recent years as the horses face mounting threats due to encroachment, environmental changes caused by climate change, and a decreased herd size, the role that breed conservation plays in their survival has become increasingly important.

In 2020 we embarked on an ambitious project to collect DNA from every Corolla Banker - wild and domestic, and we started with the Dews Island horses.

Dews Island, located in the Currituck Sound, was a sanctuary for a group of horses that were removed from Corolla in the late 1990s after the fence was installed. These horses learned how to get around the fence and continued to frequent the residential neighborhoods of Corolla, and were known for raiding the vegetable stand and even using the automatic doors to go into Food Lion. Their antics made them famous and stories about them were published regularly in the local papers. In 1999, it was decided that the group needed to be relocated for their safety and the safety of everyone who came in contact with them. They were rounded up and moved to the island, where they lived for nearly 20 years. In 2017, CWHF was asked to relocate the remaining eight mares from the island (the stallion, Little Red Man, died in 2008 leaving behind several of the original horses from Corolla and some offspring that were born on Dews Island).

As we started getting their DNA reports back from the lab it became clear that one mare, who we had named Moxie, was the matriarch of that particular line. We started digging into old records and newspapers, and reached out to people who helped manage the herd back then to find out more about her. We eventually learned her original name was Chaos so we dubbed this foundation family the Chaos Line. Moxie is still well-represented in the wild herd and has many relatives living in captivity now too. She was sister to Luna, Buttercup, Bella (aka Utter Chaos), Little Star, and Secotan. She was an aunt to Rita, and Dudley is her brother. Her son Arrow also lives on the farm now.

Moxie’s grandfather was Star, the stallion who was tragically hit and killed on the paved road in the early 90s and whose death was the catalyst for the creation of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

We lost Moxie to old age in June, but her death wasn’t the end of her story. She lives on in her legacy, in her relatives, and in everything she taught us, and none of that would have been possible without her DNA.

As of today, we have collected samples from around 150 horses and counting. From this we can build ancestries, learn more about herd dynamics, movement, and breeding behavior, test for all kinds of genetic conditions from diseases to unique color patterns, and build a breed database that will help other managers far into the future. We can identify areas of the habitat with less diverse genetic representation and target those areas for future introductions of Shackleford horses. We can identify mares who are already well-represented and use non-hormonal contraceptives to prevent them from oversaturating the population. The additional data has revealed that there is more than one maternal line represented in the Corolla herd, and we have not found any evidence of problematic levels of inbreeding.

All of this research will allow us to make responsible decisions about breed management and population control that will lead to a healthier herd overall, and it can be done in a way that is minimally invasive and does not greatly interfere with the horses’ natural lives. And in the end we hope that what we’re learning here will help others who are managing wild horses or working to preserve other rare breeds.

DNA research has shown that the Banker horses living on the coast of North Carolina are the last remaining population of this breed that still exists in its original state, having not been excessively crossed with any other types of horses. The work we’re doing with DNA not only gives us a better understanding of the genetic health and makeup of the herd, but when combined with primary historical accounts could also help researchers pinpoint the exact origins of the breed.

The DNA is helping us tell the whole story.

The science and the reconstruction of the history is ever-evolving, but one thing is for sure - the Banker horses are unlike any other breed in the world, and the conservation of these special genetics is a critical part of their long-term survival.

Your support is what makes this groundbreaking work possible, and from now until the end of the year your donation will have double the impact thanks to a $40k match. Get involved today: www.corollawildhorses.com/support-corolla-wild-horse-fund/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

The Banker horses are seasonal grazers and utilize different parts of their habitat at different times of the year, based on what’s growing at the time. They are thrifty keepers and can survive on very few calories. We do not provide any supplemental feed to the wild horses - there is plenty of natural forage to get them through the winter and they know exactly where to find it!

Photos taken today.

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

There is something for everyone at the CWHF Gift Shop, both in-person and online! The best part? All proceeds from your purchases help us keep the horses in the wild free, the rescued horses on the farm well cared for, and our efforts to preserve the Bankers’ habitat ongoing.

Our small staff has been busy getting out your online orders for the holidays, running our 2024 Year-End Campaign, and carrying out our day-to-day work - and all of it is thanks to you!

Shop online at www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/. 🐴🎄

Or visit us at 1130-E Corolla Village Rd in Corolla, Monday - Friday from 11am-3pm. ✨ ... See MoreSee Less

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

We are on call for emergencies involving the wild horses 24/7, 365. It’s impossible to predict when the phone will ring or what it will be about, but the majority of the calls we get aren’t immediate emergencies. Often people are reporting injuries we’re already aware of and monitoring (but we still encourage you to always call if you see something concerning - better safe than sorry), or it’s an issue for law enforcement to handle, like people getting too close to the horses. But when the phone rings in the middle of the night we know before even answering that something very bad has happened. These are never “thanks, we’ll keep an eye on it” calls.

This was the case late on the night of July 26, when 10-year-old stallion Bullwinkle was struck and ultimately killed by someone driving a UTV on the beach. The incident was witnessed by a visitor who was surf fishing with his son and who thankfully called 911 to report it. The driver was arrested for leaving the scene, but that didn’t fix Bullwinkle’s two broken legs or internal bleeding. The damage was already done, regardless of the consequences the driver faced as a result of his actions. A young, healthy, well-bred stallion was gone from the critically endangered herd forever.

As far as we know Bullwinkle never had a chance to sire any foals. He was in the prime of his life and was well known for his strong drive to breed. He was constantly challenging other stallions and fighting for mares. In fact, the day before he was killed we posted a video of him trying to steal mares away from another stallion. These are very desirable traits for a wild stallion. Not all of them have this drive and those that do are the ones who will win the mares and pass those strong genes down to their foals. They are the horses who have shaped the herd into the strong, stable, healthy population that it is today.

Unfortunately, survival of the fittest doesn’t really come into play when faced with irresponsible, dangerous human behavior.

Last week we talked about how the Corolla horses have always lived around humans, and how that has played a big role in the development of the Bankers as a unique breed. (In case you missed it: shorturl.at/DGWhi) Long before the 4x4 beaches were a tourist destination there were already people, houses, and traffic here. The horses have learned how to navigate all of this and live in relative harmony with us - it’s an intrinsic part of their nature now.

But it’s also important to be realistic about the inherent dangers of this kind of environment, especially as more and more people access the area every year. There are some things that we can’t change or fully control. Beach driving is a necessity and traffic will always be a fact of life here. There will always be garbage cans full of trash in the summer. People will always be tempted to feed a horse an apple. These things all present threats to the horses, but only if people aren’t responsible and careful. We do have control over our own actions. We can choose to drive safely, we can choose to follow the rules and keep our distance, and we can choose to educate others and report unsafe behavior when we see it.

A horse choking to death on an apple is avoidable.

A horse getting into unsecured garbage cans is avoidable.

A horse getting hit by a careless driver is avoidable.

CWHF feels very strongly that we have a responsibility to keep the Corolla herd accessible; they are the state horse of North Carolina and a cultural and historical resource. They belong to all of us, and people should have the opportunity to see them in their most natural state. This means that everyone who shares space with them has a personal responsibility to help keep them safe. Habitat is more than just grass and dunes. It’s everything the horses encounter on a daily basis, and that includes us. We have to do our best to lessen any negative impact we might have on that habitat and the good news is most people who live, work, or vacation on the 4x4 do genuinely care about the horses and want to protect them. .

Bullwinkle has been the only horse to die or be removed from the wild in 2024 due to unnatural causes. That’s pretty remarkable, and means that the work we’re doing to advocate for the horses’ safety and protection is making a difference. The number of calls we’ve gotten about feeding and petting wild horses has been going down each season. The sheriff told us that our signs are working - law enforcement is seeing a difference. There are critter-proof garbage cans at most rental houses now, and we’ve gotten far fewer calls about trash this year. People are reporting bad behavior when they see it and doing their part to help educate visitors who may not know better.

It’s still hard to talk about Bullwinkle’s death. It was tragic, violent, and preventable. It was traumatic for our staff and for the people who came out to help us that night. It was a devastating loss for the critically endangered wild herd. But if sharing his story keeps other horses from meeting the same fate, then he didn’t die in vain. We will continue to talk about him even though it’s painful, and hope that like many of his storied ancestors his death will become a catalyst for positive change.

Today is #GivingTuesday, and we’d like to ask that you consider making a donation in honor of Bullwinkle. The role we all play in these horses’ lives may have changed over the decades, but people are still critically important to their long term survival here on the Northern Outer Banks. Join us today and your gift will be matched up to $40k - there’s really never been a better time to get involved. Your support has already made a noticeable, tangible difference - let’s keep the momentum going!

www.corollawildhorses.com/support-corolla-wild-horse-fund/ ... See MoreSee Less