Junior’s Emergency Surgery
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundWe are so proud of Meg, our Director of Herd Management!
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundMeet The 2023 Southerners Of The Year
The trailblazers supporting and preserving our region’s people, places, and tradition
Corolla Wild Horse Fund
Corolla, North Carolina
As the herd manager for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF), Meg Puckett is the face of the most famous herd on the Outer Banks. It’s a big job. Since 2016, she’s been on call 24-7, though she says she loves every “sweaty, heartbreaking” moment of it. The Banker mustangs have become her life, and working with them means so much to her that she sometimes struggles to speak about it without crying.
Preserving these treasured animals amid an endless stream of tourists is a complicated dance. Puckett likes to say that “it takes a village,” but it also takes education, which is where Facebook comes in. She uses CWHF’s page to provide an unfiltered look at all that goes into caring for the more than 100 wild horses, as well as the struggles they face on a daily basis. It’s not always pretty, but that is often the point.
Puckett considers the fund’s ongoing program with the Equus Survival Trust to be her greatest accomplishment on behalf of the herd. CWHF collects DNA to be processed and analyzed to better understand the breed and its 500-year history. They’ve even mapped out family trees and, with help from NC State University, started a sperm bank.
In just a few years, this research has elevated the work of CWHF in the eyes of the scientific community. As Puckett puts it, these animals have always been special, but now there’s proof. With this data, CWHF can accomplish its goals of maintaining the mustangs’ natural environment and keeping them wild. Puckett says, “The research has established them as an endangered breed worth saving.”
Blossom is doing great!
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundCorolla Wild Horse Fund Announces Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundPRESS RELEASE
COROLLA, NC – The Corolla Wild Horse Fund is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Chris Winter as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 31, 2023.
Founded in 2001, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund’s nonprofit mission is to protect, conserve, and responsibly manage the herd of Corolla wild horses (Bankers) roaming freely on the northernmost Currituck Outer Banks, and to promote the continued preservation of this land as a permanent sanctuary for horses designated as the State Horse and defined as a cultural treasure by the state of North Carolina.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the Corolla Wild Horse Fund’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of the Fund’s mission and desired impact. The CEO will adhere to the Fund’s Strategic Action Plan and the implementation of the Wild Horse Management Agreement. As CEO, Chris will represent the Fund to the public, fostering important partnerships with key organizations, all government agencies, community and business leaders, and other relevant stakeholders. Through his work, Chris will develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies.
Spending much of his career in the nonprofit world, Chris Winter brings more than 11 years of nonprofit executive-level experience to the position. Most recently, Chris was President and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina. Before Make-A-Wish, Chris worked as the Director of Development for Living Water International. This faith-based nonprofit organization helps communities in developing countries to create sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. Chris cares about the world around him and will bring exciting new energy to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.
“We are confident Chris can guide the Fund into the future, expand our resources, improve our programs, and continue to help the wild Banker horses of Corolla thrive for generations to come.” – Kimberlee Hoey, Corolla Wild Horse Fund Chairman of the Board.
Contact:
Corolla Wild Horse Fund
252-453-8002
info@corollawildhorsefund.com
Your support in action – seven interconnected paddocks
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundAt the beginning of the year, we identified areas around our rescue farm that would benefit from new and/or updated fencing. Based on current priorities and needs, we decided to start with building additional paddocks off the back of the barn. This provided us with more space for horse intake, quarantine, and medical care. We now have seven paddocks that are all interconnected but can also be closed off, along with an alley down the middle that will allow us to unload and shift horses without having to handle them. We can now move wild horses much easier and more safely and have far more flexibility when we must house horses that need specialized care due to medical or behavioral issues (or often both).
The fencing consists of wooden posts with wire mesh so that even the wildest horse cannot get through it. This prevents horses from having nose-to-nose contact in quarantine situations, and the fence is tall enough to prevent any of the horses from thinking they could jump over it. While we don’t ever want to have to use these areas, because that means we have sick horses and/or horses that have been taken out of the wild, we need to have the infrastructure in place because when we need it, we really need it. Our next significant project will be replacing fencing around the large pastures that house the mares!
Rest Easy, Cora Mae. Your Legacy Lives On.
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundRest Free, Thicket.
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundWelcome, Drifiter!
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundWelcome to the world, Donner!
/by Corolla Wild Horse FundThis perfect little colt was born on Monday and we’ve been keeping it quiet since his parents have been staying back in the woods out of sight. But some good news would be nice right about now. So, join us in welcoming foal #4 to the herd! He was born as thunderstorms were rolling into the area so we’ve chosen the name Donner (thunder) for him. His mother is very experienced and both she and Donner are in great shape. With the exception of Drum, 2023 seems to be the year of the chestnuts so far!
Please remember to give all the horses, but especially foals, plenty of space. They need time and room to bond with their families and learn the rules of the wild. Foals are impressionable and can habituate quickly so it’s important to admire them from a distance. These horses face so many natural challenges that we can’t control, so it’s critical that we humans don’t make things unnecessarily hard for them.