Corolla Wild Horse Fund

3 days ago

If you’re coming into town for Thanksgiving be sure to swing by our shop and museum in Corolla to get some holiday shopping done! 🎁 We’ve got something for everyone on your list, and by shopping with us you are directly helping the horses too.

We will be open late on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving - come see the Christmas lights in the historic village! 🎄

If you can’t make it in person, don’t worry! Our online store is open 24/7: www.corollawildhorses.com/cwhf-gift-shop/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 week ago

Hard to believe but we are getting down to the wire for holiday shipping - place your order before December 14 to ensure it arrives before Christmas! When you shop with us, 100% of the proceeds go directly towards protecting and caring for the wild horses and the rescued horses on our farm. Check out our new hoodie colors and more: www.corollawildhorses.com/cwhf-gift-shop/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

It got cold! Flurries with wind chills in the 20s at the beginning of November is a rare occurrence around here, but the horses' thick winter coats keep them plenty warm. It's supposed to be back in the 60s for the rest of the week but now we're wondering if this could be a sign of things to come for the winter... ❄️☃️🥶 ... See MoreSee Less

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

Sorry we haven’t been posting much this week - lots going on! But we do have a great update to share today. You may remember us posting about a young mare who was separated from her colt during a stallion fight at the end of August. She suffered a bite wound to her shoulder and was in poor body condition. Her colt remained with the harem he was born into and was adjusting well to being abruptly weaned.

You can read the initial post here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1FSW5RmCUc/

The colt is still with his original harem and has been doing great. His “aunts” have been taking good care of him and he’s been staying in good body condition and behaving normally. We are optimistic that he is going to be just fine without needing any help from us. He’s going into winter in great shape and has a stable, protective harem keeping watch over him.

The mare’s condition was touch and go for a couple months after the incident. She stayed with her new stallion and his other mare for a couple weeks, but because she couldn’t easily keep up with them they did eventually move on without her. We monitored her daily and checked in with our veterinarian several times a week, and were ready to mobilize and capture her for treatment if necessary. In fact, one morning in the middle of September she’d been observed lying down for long periods of time and was behaving in a way that was more concerning than anything we’d seen over the previous days and weeks. We took the horse trailer up to where she was, thinking it might be time to intervene, but as we continued to watch her she stood up and stayed up, began grazing, and was very irritated with us being too close to her - that’s always a good sign! So we backed off and stayed the course.

After that weekend, she seemed to turn a corner and was more mobile and alert than she’d been for at least a month. She slowly began gaining weight, the wound on her shoulder continued to heal well, and she rejoined the other horses and has been moving around like normal. Today she is looking so much better - the wound has healed, she has gained a significant amount of weight, and continues to improve every day.

This mare and her colt are great examples of how resilient and strong the Banker horses are. They are a reminder that life in the wild is not always easy for them or comfortable for us to watch, but it is our responsibility to give them the opportunity to live naturally as they have for so many generations. Survival of the fittest is a very important part of a healthy, well-balanced population and is the reason why these horses have been thriving here for centuries. They are quite adept at taking care of themselves when given the chance. Finding a balance between letting nature take its course and conserving a very threatened, very endangered herd can be complicated and difficult. However, it’s imperative that we give every one of these horses the opportunity to live and die wild and free - their future depends on it.

We hope that this story also illustrates just how fragile life can be for them. Even in a perfect world with no human encroachment, there is no guarantee that every wild horse is going to survive into old age. This is why it’s so important that we do not make things even harder for them by being irresponsible about the things we can control like driving safely, not feeding or approaching the horses, and cleaning up after ourselves.

A huge thank-you goes out to the residents and visitors who helped us keep an eye on this mare over the last several months. Your calls and photos were instrumental in helping us keep track of any changes to her condition, and we especially appreciate the residents who were so fiercely protective of her space and safety when she was not moving around very much. It takes a village! ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

We are very excited to announce that our online holiday raffle kicks off today. This year we are raffling off a beautiful, one-of-a-kind pot Middleton Clay Project has made, infused with hair from four very special Corolla Banker mares.

Tickets: www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/2025raffle/

The four mares featured on this pot were part of the “Renegade Six” harem, who were known for repeatedly circumventing the fence into Virginia’s False Cape State Park. Due to the marshy terrain and the sound water being navigable, we were unable to extend the fence out any further. After many failed attempts at permanently relocating the horses back to NC, federal officials asked that we safely move them to the farm in spring 2018.

Since then, three of the horses have been adopted out to loving homes—their stallion Lucky Duck, his son Mateo, and one of the mares, Ocean Pearl. The remaining three mares, Virginia Dare, Bonita, and Kitty Hawk, will remain with us at the farm, well looked after for the rest of their lives.

Each raffle ticket is $7 and can be purchased via our website. Your order number will be entered into the raffle multiple times, equaling the quantity of your purchased ticket(s). Tickets can be purchased until 5 pm December 10th. The winner will be contacted and then announced on CWHF social media channels. The pot will be shipped to the winner.

Get your tickets now: www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/2025raffle/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

3 weeks ago

In March 2020 Squirt was removed from the wild and relocated to our farm due to a condition called degenerative suspensory ligament disorder (DSLD). DSLD causes the ligaments in the legs to break down and is ultimately fatal. Not only was Squirt beginning to show signs of discomfort with a noticeable decrease in his mobility, but because researchers believe the condition may be genetic we also didn’t want to risk him passing it down to any offspring. There is no cure for DSLD, but it can be managed for a time with corrective hoof trimming, proper nutrition, and supportive therapy.

Once at the farm we were able to keep Squirt comfortable and sound, and he settled into his new life well. He was friendly and very trustworthy with other horses, and was the first pasture mate both Riptide and Brio had once they were well enough to go out into one of the bigger pastures. Squirt was instrumental in helping to raise them. He lived a very normal life on the farm - he ran around and played with his friends, enjoyed being groomed, did some in-hand trail obstacle work with our 4H members (he was great with human kids too!), painted, and just generally brightened our days with his cuteness and his quirky personality.

We can count on less than one hand the number of times over the last five years that Squirt showed any signs of the DSLD causing him discomfort.

However, towards the end of the summer Squirt began showing signs of pain and lameness, was laying down more often and for longer periods of time, and was having difficulty standing back up. It had also become difficult for him to support himself when getting his hooves trimmed. He was started on pain medication and an anti-inflammatory which initially helped, but after several weeks he began to show signs of discomfort again even on the highest dosage.

We knew from the moment we brought Squirt to the farm five years ago that this was an inevitability. And while that doesn’t make it any easier, in our line of work you do come to cherish the rare times when you can make the decision to let a horse go with peace and dignity on a good day when it isn't an emergency. This was the point we’d arrived at with Squirt, and rather than waiting for his pain to increase or for him to go down and be unable to stand back up, we made the decision to euthanize him. Squirt passed away at the end of a beautiful, sunny day, surrounded by his horse and human family. Everyone had a chance to say their goodbyes, and he was laid to rest in a quiet, shady spot on the farm.

We sure miss the little guy; there is a Squirt-sized hole in our hearts now, but we are grateful that we were able to provide him with the care he needed in his last years and help him pass when the time was right.

Run free, Squirt. ... See MoreSee Less

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

4 weeks ago

The holidays are right around the corner and we have some great new merchandise available! Get a jump start on your shopping and support our mission too. 100% of the proceeds from our gift shop go directly to the care and management of the horses.

Shop online now: www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/

You can also visit our store and museum in Corolla Monday-Friday from 9am-3pm, or come see us at the farm open house in Grandy on Saturday. More information on our website 👆🏻 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

4 weeks ago

We've got another nor'easter blowing in tonight, and one of the most common questions we get when there's bad weather is "what do the horses do?"

These photos from today show one of the ways they handle the rain and wind - by going into the maritime forests and taking cover under the live oak trees. Live oaks are native evergreen trees that provide dense cover all year long, and have a deep, wide root system that makes them very resistant to damage from strong winds. Not only do these trees provide a safe, natural shelter, but they're a food source too - acorns are a large part of the horses' diet this time of year.

Just like the oak trees, the wild horses are well adapted to handle the harsh weather here on the Outer Banks - they've been doing it successfully for hundreds of years!☔️🐴 ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

Missing the beach? Limited 8x8 canvases and 8x10 matted prints of the wild herd by Kris’ Corolla Creations are now available in our online gift shop to ship straight to you from Corolla! 🐴

www.corollawildhorses.com/shop/product-category/photography-and-canvas/ ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

From newly born to six months old - this filly is heading into winter in excellent condition! By the time a foal is six months old they’ve reached about 80% of their mature height, and about half of their mature weight. 📈

www.corollawildhorses.org ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

It’s been dark and dreary here for daaaaays and it’s got us missing summer! Here are some photos taken in June and July to brighten things up. 🏖️☀️ ... See MoreSee Less

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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 month ago

On September 20 we removed stallion JW (aka Jumper) from the wild after he presented signs of colic that did not resolve on their own after several hours of observation. We were able to successfully manage his symptoms, and he responded very well to supportive care and medication. However, since our last update about him, these episodes began occurring again. While he initially responded well to treatment, he started having breakthrough symptoms and was still exhibiting signs of discomfort even while medicated. On Friday afternoon he became acutely worse while being treated. Based on his history, his age, and the severity of the colic episode, our veterinarian and herd management team made the decision to humanely euthanize him.

JW was well into his 30s, which is very old for any horse, but especially for a stallion who spent his entire life in the wild. He was one of the more well-known horses due to his habit of jumping in and out of the Carova Beach Park. He came by the name Jumper honestly! If you have ever visited the park, it’s likely you saw JW there. He was one of the horses we could always expect to see most days, sometimes alone (he was a longtime bachelor) but often with the other old stallions who lived in the same territory.

These stallions were all around the same age and spent their entire lives together. They formed bachelor bands in their youth, they battled for mares and raised foals alongside each other, and in their later years, after they were done with fighting and breeding, they joined back up with each other to spend the rest of their days together as old stallions often do. Over the last several years they have been reaching the ends of their lives. It is bittersweet - there has been a lot of smiling through the tears the last few days as we’ve been remembering this old guard and reflecting on the lives they lived and the lessons they taught us. There is a new generation of stallions taking their place now, and there’s an even newer generation behind them waiting in the wings. This is the same cycle of life and death that has been happening here for hundreds of years. It is beautiful, it is sacred, and it is one of the cornerstones of a healthy population.

There is a passage from Rachel Carson’s seminal work Silent Spring that we quote often in times like these to help remind ourselves that we should take comfort in this steadfast cycle of nature:

“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.”

We will miss seeing them quietly grazing in the meadow, we will miss catching them asleep in the shade of the scrub oaks, and we’ll even miss the calls about a horse being “stuck” in the park - though JW did teach some of the other horses how to jump in and out, so that tradition will likely carry on. But JW and Flint, Theo and Yogi, Buddy, Knight, and Rhett - they all left their mark on the herd. We can take comfort in the fact that they all lived the kind of life that we hope every Banker foal born on this beach grows up and experiences.

Jumper, JW, Dubs as Betty often called him, was laid to rest on the farm Friday night near his old friend Flint.

It was such an honor, boys. ... See MoreSee Less

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