For centuries, wild horses freely roamed many areas of the Outer Banks. Detailed information from 16th Century Spanish ship logs and journals indicates that the first horses arrived on the Outer Banks via Spanish explorers' vessels as early as 1520. It is generally believed that the horses were left alone on the island for the following three reasons:
- Numerous shipwrecks occurred offshore and surviving horses swam to safety.
- Vessels ran aground and horses were tossed overboard to lighten the load.
- Conflicts with Native Americans forced the Spaniards to flee, leaving all of their livestock behind.
The northern reaches of the Outer Banks remained mostly undeveloped until the late 20th Century and as recently as the mid-1980s wild horses were a common site in Corolla. Development of the area prompted the extension of Highway 12 to Corolla in 1988 causing an increase in traffic deaths and injury to the wild horses. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, operating under the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc., collaborated with Currituck County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the North Carolina Estuarine Research Reserve to create a horse sanctuary on 12,000 acres of the county's northern beaches located beyond the end of the road near the Virginia border. Two sound-to-sea fences, one at each end of the sanctuary, keep the horses from wandering out of the protected area.
In 1977, well before the horse sanctuary was created, a management plan for the Corolla wild horse herd was developed, which called for a maximum herd size of 60 horses. However, more recent equine genetics studies recommend a minimum herd size of 110 horses as a genetically viable number for a wild horse herd. Attempts by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund to revise the plan to a genetically healthy number of horses have been met with resistance and many believe that the horses are facing a potential genetic collapse. Visit the Corolla Wild Horse Fund for the latest information and updates.
Visiting the Corolla / Currituck Outer Banks Horses:
Visitors in 4WD vehicles are able to view the horses by driving along the beach and on sandy side roads. However, it is important to note that feeding or getting closer than 50 feet to a wild horse is an arrestable offense in Currituck County. Visitors without 4WD transportation may choose from several wild horse tours, including:
- Back Country Outfitters and Guides - 252-453-0877 - 4WD, Segway and Kayak nature tours
- Beach Jeeps of Corolla - 252-453-6141 - Self-guided Jeep rental tours
- Bob's Wild Horse Tours - 252-453-0939 - Guided tours to see the Corolla Wild Horses in open-air vehicles
- Corolla Outback Adventures - 252-453-4484 - Jeep rentals, guided, self-guided and sunset tours
- Wild Horse Adventure Tours - 252-489-2020 - Air-conditioned Suburban tours or personal Jeep off-road adventure tours
- Rick's Jeep Adventures - 252-489-4878 / toll-free 888-293-3497 - Jeep rentals for guided horse tours
- Corolla Jeep Rentals and Tours - 252-453-6899 - Jeep rentals, guided, self-guided and sunset tours
Additional Information:
- Photos of Coastal Wild Horses in the Southeast U.S.
- Currituck Department of Travel and Tourism - For information about visiting the area
- Corolla Wild Horse Fund - For in depth history and current information about the wild horses of Corolla
