Corolla Wild Horse Fund

3 days ago

The CWHF rescue farm is home to twenty very special horses. Each of them was born in the wild but had to be removed for various reasons, ranging from life-threatening injuries and medical conditions, to severe habituation and behavioral issues that put them and humans in danger. Removing a horse from the wild is a last resort option and one that we do not take lightly, but sometimes it is what’s best for the horse’s wellbeing.

Our farm is a sanctuary for these horses; a place where they can live out the rest of their days with the care and support they need to stay healthy, enriched, and safe.

Caring for this many horses, all at different levels of training, different life stages, and with different past traumas and medical issues can be quite a challenge! Each horse is unique and what works best for one might not work for another. We have to be flexible, good at compromise, and patient. But the one thing that rarely changes is the fact that our horses go through a *lot* of hay.

In fact, hay is our biggest regular expense at the farm.

Horses are meant to graze most of the day and night (15-17 hours at the least); otherwise, stomach acid can build up and cause ulcers, and other behavioral issues can arise. And in the winter, a full belly is what keeps horses warm. At the farm, we keep hay in front of the rescue horses 24/7, giving them the chance to forage as naturally as possible.

For the horses who don’t have any special dietary needs, we feed a hay that is low in calories, sugar, and other carbohydrates that we’ve found most closely resembles the type of forage they have available to them in the wild. We put these 700lb bales of hay in slow-feeder nets to make them work a little bit harder for it, mimic grazing behavior, and keep the hay clean and off the ground. The nine mares who share a pasture go through two of these bales every five days or so in the middle of winter. The Bankers are very easy keepers and generally don’t require a lot of calories to survive, so keeping them in good weight while at the same time making sure they have a constant supply of hay can be a challenge!

The farm is also home to several elderly horses who do require a more specialized diet - including our newest rescue JW (more info: www.facebook.com/share/1J4zkZpMma/). JW (also known as Jumper, though he’s not particular about which name you call him 😉) is quite old, and in the two days that he’s been with us we’ve noticed that he has difficulty chewing. This is common for older horses and something that can be managed with proper dental care and appropriate feed.

For right now, JW is being fed a soft hay that is highly palatable, has a high nutritional value, high in fiber, and low in sugar and starch. He’s getting fed several small meals a day, and the hay is soaked in water to make it even softer and also give him some additional hydration. Luckily we already had this hay on hand because it’s what Blossom and Jasmine eat too. In the winter we also supplement the older ones' diets with a feed formulated especially for senior horses so that they have extra calories to help keep them warm and in good weight.

Now that summer is winding down and the amount of hay we are feeding is going up, we are asking for your help to make sure our hay barn (and the horses’ bellies!) stay full all winter. Hay costs have increased significantly over the last couple of years, but it’s not something that we can skimp on. Poor quality hay can cause a whole host of health issues, and we will never jeopardize the health and wellbeing of our horses simply to save a few dollars. Your support makes a world of difference in the rescued horses’ lives - please consider making a donation today, and know that it will go towards keeping them healthy, warm, and happy all winter long.

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

+2

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 week ago

Fall on the Outer Banks - the horses are getting fuzzy, the days are getting shorter, the persimmons are ripe, and we had a nor'easter yesterday. Doesn't get much more authentic than that! 🍂

All photos taken today, except for the first one with the persimmon tree, which was taken on Monday.

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+3

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

A post is circulating around some local Facebook groups about the older mare with the granulated tissue in her eye socket who we’ve been monitoring for the last six months. This post has generated some concern and we wanted to once again give some background and insight into our approach to managing her situation.

For background see our first post about her: www.facebook.com/share/16FqyDaQof/

And our second post about her: www.facebook.com/share/16xBxRewWo/

This mare lost her eye several years ago. There is no eye to remove, and there is no feasible or humane way to treat/remove the tissue that is there now. This was true in April when she first presented with it, and it remains true today. She would not be able to come to the farm and live out the rest of her days any more comfortably than she is living them out now.

At the beginning of August this mare and her stallion began exclusively staying west of the dunes on a large piece of minimally developed private property. The owners generously allowed CWHF access to the area to monitor her, and for several weeks we checked on her every day. Her weight did fluctuate some during several heat waves, but overall her condition was very stable and her behavior remained normal. She began to show signs of irritation at our daily intrusions into her life, so we made the decision to back off and check in on her once or twice a week. The last few times we’ve gone back to look for her (Thursday being the most recent) we have not seen her. We were told by the owners of the property that they’d seen her recently, and that while her overall condition may have looked just a bit worse, she was still behaving normally.

The property is vast, and is bordered by thousands of acres of protected state and federal land that is inaccessible by vehicle and often even by foot. If this mare has chosen to go deep into the brush and marsh we respect her right to solitude away from humans. This is how these horses have lived and died for hundreds of years, and just because we now have drones and long angle lenses and can see it happening doesn’t mean we should be interfering with the natural cycle of life.

The tissue may be very troubling for some people to see, but it's important to remember that making herd management decisions based on our own emotions and conjecture is not in the horses' best interest. We make management decisions based on observable behaviors under the direction of experts in the field. So far this mare has not shown any clinical signs of being in a great amount of pain, she is able to move around freely to eat and drink, and she has consistently shown an aversion to human interaction. She is very wild, and she is doing what a wild horse does at the end of their life. If she is able to die naturally without ever having human hands on her then we will consider that a success. That is what we want for each and every one of these horses.

Anyone who observes a horse they believe to be in distress should immediately report the horse’s location to CWHF. We can be reached any time of the day or night by calling the Currituck County Communications Center at 252-453-3633. They will call us to relay the information and can dispatch law enforcement if necessary. ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

Foaling season here on the Outer Banks is winding down so we thought we'd do a photo update on this year's foals, including our newest arrival, a filly who was born over the weekend!

The Corolla herd welcomed nine new members in 2025 - six fillies, two colts, and one still unconfirmed (we spotted them from the helicopter earlier this summer, but they do not come out of the marshy areas often and we have no reason to track them down and disturb them - mom and foal both looked great!).

It's not completely out of the ordinary to have a foal born later in the fall so we still may have one or two on the way, but even if we don't we are thrilled with this year's crop! They are all healthy and thriving.

Please remember that foals are very impressionable and easily habituated. Do not encourage them to seek out human attention and definitely never feed them. These youngsters are the future of the Corolla herd and it's imperative that we all work together to ensure their survival in the wild. ... See MoreSee Less

+6

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

4 weeks ago

Quick update on the mare and colt we posted about on Friday - both of these photos were taken in the last hour.

The mare is still keeping up with her new harem, grazing, and is more bright and alert than she was on Friday. The wound on her shoulder is looking like we’d expect it to. Not at a very pretty stage of the healing process, but draining as it should.

Her colt is still with his harem as well (there are no other horses with him in that photo but they were close by - don’t worry!). He’s maintaining weight and seems completely relaxed and happy.

This continues to be a “day at a time” situation but so far today things are looking good! 🤞

(Original post about these two is just below this one.) ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

Update - 8/19, 10pm: A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for the 4x4 area of Currituck County (where the wild horses live). This was done to prevent people from being stranded in their homes due to high surf, not because the forecast has changed. It does not change anything about the impact the storm will have on the horses - they have access to thousands of acres away from the ocean. Please be safe if you are heading out tomorrow!

We’ve been getting quite a few questions and concerns today about the hurricane - hopefully this answers those questions and puts some minds at ease.

This herd of wild horses lives in Currituck County, at the northernmost part of the Outer Banks. Their habitat ends at the Virginia state line, and comprises about 8,000 acres of land that includes maritime forest, marsh, and an 11 mile strand of beach. What you see when you drive around the area, take a horse tour, or even rent a vacation home is just a very small part of it. Check out these photos from a recent aerial survey to get a better idea of what the habitat looks like: www.facebook.com/share/19ezRWH1pw/

The Bankers have survived on these barrier islands for hundreds of years and have successfully weathered countless storms. It’s a natural part of life for them and has been for many, many generations. We would never round them up and move them ahead of a storm. It’s completely unfeasible and unsafe for a mile-long list of reasons, and would be a gross overreach from a herd management perspective.

Currituck County is not currently under a state of emergency nor have any evacuation orders been issued for us at this point. Hatteras (Dare County) and Ocracoke (Hyde County) are being evacuated due to the threat of ocean overwash on Highway 12, which will strand people for days if not longer. That is not currently a concern north of Oregon Inlet. For those unfamiliar with the area, the fire station in Carova where the wild horses live is 90 miles north of Cape Hatteras. Here in Currituck we are expecting minor to moderate coastal flooding through Thursday, a high risk of rip currents, and some wind (gusts up to 40mph) and rain Wednesday into Thursday.

The beach may be impassable at times, especially around high tide, but the impact on the horses should be very minimal. Of course, things could change and the unexpected could happen, but all we can do is keep an eye on the forecast, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Such is life on the Outer Banks.

If you are vacationing here this week, please follow Currituck County Emergency Management for updates and adhere to their directives. Do not put yourself or our first responders in danger by going out into the ocean or driving through water. Please stay safe out there! ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” -Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

(Photos taken over the last week or so by our staff as they’ve been out monitoring the herd.)

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+6

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

At approximately 5am on Monday, August 11 a driver called 911 to report having struck a horse in the 2000 block of Sandpiper Road in the 4x4 area of Corolla. At this time we do not have any additional details about the nature of the collision or the driver, as that falls under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department.

The horse who was struck was 10-year-old stallion Francisco. He was an otherwise healthy, young stallion with a harem of four mares, a yearling colt, and a four-month-old colt (the colts’ parentage have not been verified by DNA so it is currently unknown if Francisco was sire to either of them). After examining the body, our veterinarian determined that Francisco sustained the following fatal injuries: complete fracture of the radius and ulna, ruptured eye with periocular fractures, fractured ribs with subcutaneous emphysema, and likely ruptured diaphragm with pneumoabdomen.

Our staff has observed the rest of the horses in the harem behaving normally and we have no reason to be concerned for their safety or well-being at this time.

Please drive carefully and be aware of your surroundings at all times. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of obeying all traffic regulations on the 4-wheel-drive. These tragic incidents can be avoided through vigilance and personal responsibility.

*Media has permission to use the information and photos contained in this post with credit to CWHF

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