For centuries, wild Banker horses outnumbered humans on the Outer Banks. The original stock was brought to the New World by the Spanish in the 1500s.
Among the first explorers to visit the North Carolina Coast was a Spaniard named Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon Among the first explorers to visit the North Carolina Coast was a Spaniard named Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon (1475 – 1526), a lawyer, nobleman, Spanish conquistador, and explorer who tried to start a colony in North America in 1526. Vasquez de Ayllon had received a charter from the Spanish king, which gave him the right to explore and colonize much of the eastern seaboard. He landed at Rich John the Baptist (thought to have been Cape Fear), but his attempt to settle the coast of the Carolinas was ultimately unsuccessful. The two ships he brought most likely left eighty to one hundred Colonial Spanish mustangs behind.
The next direct line of history comes from vessel logs detailing the importation of livestock to the Outer Banks by Richard Grenville’s expeditions from 1584 – 1590. Of note is Grenville’s 1585 – 1586 voyage. The fleet was damaged en route to Roanoke Island. It was forced to stop in Puerto Rico, where ship logs indicate various livestock were purchased from the Spanish, including stallions and mares, along with saddles and bridles. The fleet’s largest ship, the Tiger, was too big to enter the shallow waters of the Roanoke Sound and was heavily damaged while anchored in the Atlantic. It is entirely possible that much of the livestock on board swam ashore or drowned.
By 1650, two large royal Spanish breeding ranches were established on the southeast coast of North America. Instability, including conflict between the English, Spanish, and Native Americans, led to a large number of horses escaping these ranches and populating the backwoods areas of Georgia, Southern Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
For centuries, Banker horses continue to flourish in the wild, populate, and become part of the ecosystem of the Outer Banks.
In May of 1926, National Geographic reported that there were between 5,000 – 6,000 wild horses roaming the Outer Banks of the North Carolina coast. Since then, their population has significantly decreased, primarily due to development and issues that arise from a growing population.
For a comprehensive history and education on the Banker horses, please visit the Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum at 1130E Corolla Village Road, Corolla, NC 27927. We are located in the Historic Corolla Village.