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Corolla Wild Horse Fund

5 days ago

Horses coming around the end of the soundside fence and onto the paved roads of Corolla is not new. They've been doing it since the fence was constructed in the mid-90s, and CWHF has been relocating them for just as long. The first group of horses were taken to Dews Island in 1999 for this very reason. Over the years, the fence has been extended as far out as possible, additional sections of fencing have been added, the boardwalk was reinforced to prevent them from walking under it...the list goes on and on.

The fence is a deterrent, but it was never meant or expected to be completely pony-proof.

These are wild horses who have no idea what it means to be fenced in, they are skilled problem solvers, extremely routine-oriented, and they share a generational herd knowledge that has been passed down (primarily by mares) for many decades. There are a few horses still alive who lived in Corolla before the fence was constructed, and even more who are first-generation offspring of horses who once called the pavement home.

This is why, 30 years later, we continue to have horses who circumvent the fence on occasion.

The first horse our current herd management team removed from the wild in 2016 was an old stallion named Roamer, who began establishing territory in the area between the cattle guard and Corolla Village in the late winter of that year. When this behavior first began, he also had two mares with him - Blossom and Bayberry. After we relocated Roamer to the farm, the two mares stopped coming around the fence every single day, but the behavior didn't stop entirely. Another stallion, Rambler, inherited all of the mares who lived in the refuge right at the end of the pavement. Led by Blossom and Bayberry, they continued to come around the fence occasionally in the winter and early spring, but it was manageable and they were relatively easy to move back to the 4x4. We have an incredible group of local volunteers who have been dedicated to moving the horses back to safety, and if it weren't for their help, we probably would have ended up removing more horses over the last decade.

It takes a village!

Blossom was removed from the wild in 2023 after she tore a ligament in one of her front legs. Bayberry remained wild and took over as the boss mare who decided when it was time for everyone to head into town. There are currently 3-4 other mares and their offspring living in the area just north of the pavement, and a seven-year-old stallion has inherited them.

This fall, Bayberry began coming around the fence every single day, sometimes alone, sometimes with the stallion, and sometimes with another older mare named Bellissima. Bellissima’s sire was Roamer, so she is another good example of how this behavior gets passed down through the generations. The mares’ new stallion really complicated things since he's young and highly driven to breed and protect his territory. He was especially on edge from following the two older mares while leaving the rest of his harem behind on the 4x4. Their movements became increasingly erratic, they were getting difficult to safely direct back to the 4x4, and were starting to display some signs of aggression towards people. It's always been inherently dangerous for them to be on the pavement moving in and out of traffic, potentially putting pedestrians, drivers, and themselves at risk. We’ve debated pulling Bayberry for several years because we really wanted to stop this cycle and prevent young horses from learning how to go around the fence, but as you know, the decision to remove a horse from the wild is very difficult.

However, over the last few weeks it became clear to our team that the time had come.

Tuesday morning the horses were found behind the Whalehead Club, so we set up a pen to block their normal route back to the beach and managed to get Bayberry, Bellissima, and the stallion onto the trailer. He was taken back up the beach and released in the northernmost part of his territory, and we brought the two mares to the farm. We're hoping that the stallion will not be motivated to continue regularly coming south anymore without the mares leading the charge. We definitely do not want to remove him from the wild. Luckily, none of the younger mares seem motivated much at all to regularly come south.

Bayberry and Bellissima are both very old and haven't produced foals in many years, so we aren't losing any genetics from the herd. Normally we want the old mares to stay wild so they can teach the young horses how to navigate life on the beach, but in this case we definitely do not want this knowledge passed down! They are already settling in well to life on the farm and are very happy to be reunited with Blossom (and Blossom is happy to be back with them!). All three were very deeply bonded with each other when they were wild, and settled right back into that same relationship here on the farm.

Horses will inevitably still wander around the end of the fence every once in a while, but it's manageable as long as it doesn't become habitual.

It's been a busy week for our Herd Management team. We’d like to thank our staff and volunteers for all of the hard work. There have been a lot of early mornings, long days, and late nights not just these last few weeks but over the last decade. It's a bittersweet ending to these mares' lives in the wild, but their removal was done in the best interests of the herd, our community, and their own safety. As far as we know, these are probably the last three living members of the herd who remember the time before the fence was constructed and the horses were moved north. They will have a wonderful "retirement" here on the farm, and their legacy will certainly never be forgotten.

We’ll be sharing a follow-up post about our incredible volunteer team and all the work they’ve done over the years to help us keep these horses wild, free, and safe, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, remember you can come visit Bayberry, Blossom, Bellissima, and the rest of the rescue farm herd at our open house tomorrow from 9am-1pm. ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

1 week ago

Congratulations Olivia, Ally, JJ, Albert, Ethan, and Emily! 🤩 What an amazing (and well-deserved!) honor.

You can see the film this Saturday at the Outer Banks Environmental Film Festival. For more info and tickets, visit their website: www.obxeff.com ... See MoreSee Less

Corolla Wild Horse Fund

2 weeks ago

Thanks for coming to visit! It was a lovely afternoon! 🐎 ... See MoreSee Less