Corolla Wild Horse Fund is with Currituck County 4-H.

2 days ago

Some of our rescued Banker ponies have been busy this summer showcasing how special this breed is!

In June our trainer Nora hosted a fun show at the Currituck County Rural Center and five Bankers attended - Uno, Ocean Pearl, Riptide, Porter, and June. Everyone had a great time and walked away with many well-deserved ribbons. June even won a handmade brush box for being “best groomed!” This week Ocean Pearl and her kiddo are representing CWHF and the Banker breed at the NC State 4-H Horse Show.

Outreach like this is such an important part of the work that we do, and we are so proud of our staff, the horses, and our 4H club members for being amazing ambassadors! ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 days ago

Wise words from a dear friend of ours! And some familiar faces in the next to last photo. 💜 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

3 days ago

Farm open house is going to be extra fun today! Mike and Jeff from Middleton Clay Project will be here firing pots from 10am-12pm, and they’re going to raffle off five them at noon. Tickets are $5 each and you must be present to win.

We’re ready to open the gates and welcome everyone!

More info: www.facebook.com/share/193gtjEHjZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

5 days ago

Thanks for the complimentary wash this morning, OBX Auto Spa! Truck is squeaky clean and it’s also great enrichment for dogs who like to chase the water hose. 🤣

This car wash has been here forever, but it’s recently come under new ownership/management and has been fully renovated and modernized. Swing through on your way home from vacation and wash all the salt off your vehicle!

Located at 8109 Caratoke Hwy, just across the bridge. 🚙🧼🫧 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

7 days ago

It’s dangerously hot out here right now. Please be extra cautious around the horses and don’t put pressure on them that causes them to move around unnecessarily.

Foals are especially susceptible to heat-related illness and can go downhill quickly if they get overheated or dehydrated. The horses may become more active once the sun goes down, so be extra cautious if you’re out driving this evening and tonight.

It’s a holiday weekend, but there are lots of folks out in these brutal conditions working very hard to make sure you have a fun yet safe vacation. Please don’t make things even more difficult for our staff, first responders, and ocean rescue. Thank you! 🫶 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 week ago

It’s gonna be way too hot for nonsense. Please be safe and smart out there!

Thank you to our first responders, ocean rescue, and all the folks at 9-1-1 who are working extra hard this holiday week. We appreciate you! ❤️ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 week ago

On this week’s episode of “We Couldn’t Make This Up If We Tried,” yesterday we got a call about a bunch of apples on the beach. Our employee started heading towards the area where the apples were reported and quickly realized someone didn’t dump them out there on purpose - they seemed to be washing up out of the ocean! They must have come off a ship out at sea. Not something you see every day, but does happen from time to time. Who remembers the Doritos?? 🤣

Our staff, people who were sitting on the beach, and the sheriff’s deputy collected several bags of apples yesterday afternoon. Last night a couple of the guys who collect garbage also picked up quite a few apples and oranges as they were going up and down the beach working.

This morning we were set to put out a call for people to meet us out there and help clean up the rest but volunteers from N.E.S.T. (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles) beat us to it! We’d like to say a HUGE thank-you to everyone who helped collect all the fruit. Never a dull moment on this beach! 🍎🚢🍊

ETA: No, the wild horses should not eat apples. Anything that’s not part of their natural diet can cause choke and/or colic, which can be fatal. In 2020 we lost a yearling colt to choke after he was fed an apple. In 2021, stallion Junior nearly died after choking on an apple. You should never feed an animal that isn’t yours, whether it’s domestic or wild. It is against the law to feed or bait the wild horses. ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

It’s been a little over six months since Topnotch was relocated to our farm and he’s made such amazing progress in that time! These photos were taken yesterday during his training session (and check out the comments for a video).

We’ve been taking our time with him, letting him settle in, learn some boundaries without putting too much pressure on him, earning his trust, and making sure that he’s in good physical condition. That patience is really starting to pay off! He will now voluntarily follow us into the round pen and is learning how to lunge, lead, and we can even touch his face now (carefully and briefly, but it’s still major progress!). He’s such a fun guy to have around. He’s incredibly smart and enjoys attention, and he’s got a wicked sense of humor for a horse. You just can’t help but smile when you’re around him, even when he’s threatening to eat your fingers for breakfast. 😉

Come visit Topnotch, Blossom, and the rest of the gang at our farm open house tomorrow. We're open from 9am-1pm, and there’s a suggested $10 donation per vehicle at the gate. Our gift shop is stocked with lots of new merchandise for 2026, you can sponsor any of the rescued Banker horses in our care, chat with our staff about the work that we do, and catch a screening of the documentary The Secret of Corolla at 10am and 11am. Hope to see you there!

More info: www.facebook.com/events/1609189420288071/1609189426954737 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

Last week a tour guide noticed a horse acting frightened of something, and when he stopped to get a better look he noticed a drone flying very close to the horse. He snapped these photos and then reached out to us in concern. We’d like to use this opportunity to talk about drones, the horses’ reaction to them, and how operators can fly them safely without bothering the horses.

The wild horses are extremely desensitized to most things. They live around people, vehicles, fireworks, kites, low-flying military aircraft…you name it. Not much ruffles their feathers and even fewer things actually scare them. But there is one thing that almost always seems to make them nervous and uncomfortable - drones. The movement is fast and erratic, drones can appear out of nowhere in places the horses are not used to being disturbed, and they make a buzzing noise that the horses really dislike. Drones can be a useful tool in some situations, but for the most part we find them to be one of the more invasive, disruptive things the horses must deal with in this day and age.

From a prey animal’s perspective, a drone following them is no different than a predator chasing them, *and* it can chase them into places the herd has historically perceived as safe.

The horse in these photos was very close to a swath of federally protected land that is some of the last acreage on the northern Outer Banks still largely untouched by humans. It is one of the only places left for the horses to go where they are unlikely to be disturbed by people. They deserve the solitude and safety this area provides them; a place for them to be truly wild and free. Mares use this land as a nursery, stallions retreat there to recover from injuries caused by fighting, and old horses go deep into the marsh to lay themselves to rest. It is a sacred circle of life that has been taking place here for hundreds of years and we should all be extremely protective of this pristine habitat and the privacy it affords the horses and other wildlife.

The Currituck County Wild Horse Ordinance states that no one should come within 50ft of the wild horses, and this applies to drones too. The ordinance also states that it is illegal to “subject to conditions detrimental to its health or general welfare any wild horse within a wild horse sanctuary, or to cause or procure such action.” Circling and chasing the horses with a drone, getting closer than 50ft to them, and/or disrupting their natural behavior is not only detrimental to their welfare, but it is also illegal.

If you are operating a drone around the horses, please stay at least 50ft away from them at all times and be aware of their reaction to your drone. If they look up at the drone or begin to move away from it, you need to back off and give them their space.

Technology is a wonderful thing and has helped us better protect and preserve this herd and their habitat in many ways. But we will never use technology at the risk of the horses’ wellbeing, or just because we can. In the last decade or so, drones have become one of those advancements that can give us closer, easier access but we must ask ourselves at what cost, and for what purpose. Those are questions we continue to grapple with, and our stance may change (multiple times, even!), but one thing that will never change is our dedication to the horses’ safety, wellbeing, and autonomy.

www.corollawildhorses.org ... See MoreSee Less