History of the Corolla Wild Horses

Here is a little history behind the Corolla Wild horses from Karen McCalpin the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

Colonial Spanish horses (Spanish Mustangs) have been an integral part of the history and heritage of the Currituck Outer Banks for over five centuries. Spanish explorations and colonization began in the early 1500’s around Cape Fear, NC. (A History of North Carolina, UNC Press) Spanish Barb and Arabian horses were left behind when colonization failed or arrived incidentally as a result of shipwrecks. They were also thrown overboard in an effort to refloat ships that had run aground on sand bars.

Because the Outer Banks of North Carolina remained isolated for centuries and have been one of the last areas of the state to become populated to saturation, there was little opportunity for adulteration of the horses’ Spanish bloodlines. By the time people again began to settle the islands, feral horses roamed in abundance. In the 1920’s, National Geographic documented between two and three thousand wild horses on the Outer Banks. At that time, Nags Head had begun to grow as a resort area for mainland planters and the horses in that area moved north and south of civilization. Bridges opened the northern Banks for development in the 1930’s but people and free-range horses were able to successfully coexist until 1985, when a paved road (Route 12)was completed from Duck to Corolla.

Before the 1980’s, there was a large herd living in and around Corolla. Sadly, between 1985 to 1995, a total of twenty horses were killed by cars on Route 12. In 1989, a group of concerned residents formed the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF), under the umbrella of the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc., to try and implement ways to protect and preserve the herd. The group worked with Currituck County officials to adopt an ordinance to protect the wild horses from human contact; pursued a permit to install an ocean to sound fence at the North Beach Access (referred to as the 4-wheel drive area) and at the Virginia/NC border; moved the herd north of the developed areas of Corolla in 1995, and incorporated as a 501 c 3 nonprofit in 2001.

Currently, the remaining 100 registered Colonial Spanish Mustangs freely roam 7,500 acres north of Corolla village to the Virginia state line. Access to this area is only by 4-wheel drive vehicles along the beach and sand cartways.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund is the lead advisor to Currituck County in regard to the horses and is charged with the management and safety of the herd. A full-time Executive Director, Herd Manager and Director of Operations monitor the health and size of the herd, respond to emergencies, manage an adoption program, and educate the public regarding the Currituck County Wild Horse Ordinance.

The Wild Horse Ordinance is a law enacted to protect both the horses and

 the public. The most important component of the law for visitors to be aware of is:

(Sec.3-36) “It shall further be unlawful for any person to lure attract or entice a wild

horse to come within 50 feet of any person or for any person other than an animal control

officer law enforcement officer wild horse sanctuary officer or veterinarian rendering treatment24 to a wild horse to intentionally come within 50 feet of a wild horse.” Fines of up to $500 can be assessed.

Feeding a wild horse anything that is not native to its diet (like, apples, carrots, celery, even hay) can cause painful, and even fatal, colic. Trying to pet a wild horse, even if it appears to be tame, is not only a violation of the law, it’s dangerous. Stallions are very protective of their bands, and mares are protective of their foals. They will respond with aggression if they feel threatened. For your own safety, you must admire and respect them from a distance. In addition – it’s the law.

The Currituck Outer Banks is the only place left in the United States where wild horses can still roam freely on the beach and among vacation and permanent homes. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund invites you to learn more about these incredible animals by visiting the free Wild Horse Museum located in the Old Schoolhouse in Old Corolla Village. For more information on the wild horses and how you can be a part of helping to save them for future generations, visit www.corollawildhorses.org  or call 252-453-8002. Help us keep them “Wild and Free.”

New 50ft Wild Horse Ordinance In Effect

The county is to changing their 50 foot rule with the Corolla Wild Horses to help ensure thier safty and the safety to the visitors. Here is a excerpt from the Virginia Pilot. The entire article can be read by going here.

To avoid trouble give wild horses space

COROLLA, N.C.

Early last month, two young boys walked up to a black stallion watching over his harem of Corolla wild horses and began patting him on the rear.

Their mother sat on a sand dune nearby, apparently unconcerned, but Kimberlee Hoey, a volunteer with the wild horse sanctuary patrol, quickly approached and asked the boys to slowly back away.

"You wonder what people are thinking," Hoey said. "He could have kicked them and killed them."

To stem dangerous encounters, Currituck County amended an ordinance Monday to make it illegal to intentionally come within 50 feet of a wild horse. Before the change, it was illegal to lure a wild horse to within 50 feet. But luring was tough to prove in court, said Ike McRee, Currituck County attorney.

Incidents of tourists interacting dangerously with Corolla wild horses have been steadily increasing, said Hoey, who is also president of the board of directors for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

Within the past two weeks, Hoey has seen a mother and father try to put their child on the back of a wild horse and take a photograph.

A woman inserted herself in the middle of a small harem of mares and continued to walk with them as they moved along the beach.

A group from a rental cottage left the porch with cameras to get close-ups of wild horses, prompting a stallion to charge from a nearby sand dune. The family rushed back, barely making it to the safety of the porch.

Monday's amendment will allow Currituck officers to issue a citation like a parking ticket instead of having to make an arrest, McRee said. Maximum fines are $500, he said.

Some wild horses associate humans with food and allow close contact, but like any wild animal they are unpredictable, said Karen McCalpin, director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. Wild horses also are in danger of getting colic, a potentially fatal condition that can be caused by introducing foods such as carrots and apples into their diets, she said.

Descended from Spanish mustangs, the Corolla wild horses are among the most popular tourist attractions on the Outer Banks.

Currituck Ordinance To Buffer Corolla Wild Horses

Currituck ordinance to buffer Corolla Wild Horses
Posted By The Independent On July 5, 2009 (9:49 pm) In Currituck, Currituck Outer Banks, News, Regional Items

The Currituck County Board of Commissioners will consider at their Monday, July 6 meeting, a change to the county ordinance governing how close individuals may approach the wild horses located on the northern Currituck Outer Banks.

County Attorney, Ike McRee, met recently with Lieutenant Jason Bank of the Currituck Sheriff's Department and Karen McAlpin of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund to address concerns that people were intentionally approaching the wild horses to take photographs, place children next to the wild horses and even walking in the middle of a herd.

McRee stated in the memo that as currently drafted, the Code of Ordinances does not prohibit such acts unless the person has lured or in some manner enticed the wild horse to approach them.

McRee continues that the proposed ordinance change will make unlawful any person intentionally coming within 50 feet of a wild horse. Law enforcement, animal control, wild horse sanctuary officers and veterinarians rendering treatment to a wild horse would be exempt from the 50 foot limit.

The Board of Commissioners will consider this item at their July 6 meeting which will be held at 7 pm in the commissioner's meeting room at the Historic Currituck County Courthouse.

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Article taken from NE NC News - http://www.nencnews.com
URL to article: http://www.nencnews.com/2009/07/05/currituck-ordinance-to-buffer-corolla-wild-horses/

Corolla Wild Horse Fund 6th Annual Wild Horse Days - July 7-9

Sponsored by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, July, 7, 8, and 9, this year’s event is so big it takes three locations to hold it – the grounds of the Wild Horse Museum, Currituck Heritage Park, and the Corolla Light Shopping Center. WHD celebrates the presence and significance of the wild Colonial Spanish Mustangs living on the Currituck Outer Banks for nearly 500 years. This year’s theme is “Horses Helping Horses” and features dressage, jumping, and wild horse training demonstrations. There will be food, music, games and crafts, Dunk a Deputy dunking booth, cart rides pulled by a formerly wild mustang and so much more! Call 252-453-8002 or visit www.corollawildhorses.org for more information.

Dates: Tue,Jul 7, 2009 to Thu, Jul 9, 2009
Address: Wild Horse Museum and Corolla Light Town Center
Info: 252-453-8002

Person Charged in the Hit & Run of One of the Corolla Wild Horses

After almost three months of wondering if we will ever know who hit T-Rex, a person has been arrested. 21 year old woman confessed to hitting the horse on that foggy night.

For the full story check out Wild And Free Weekly.