North Carolina's Wild Horses
The Wild Spanish Mustangs
of Corolla
Possibly the
most celebrated among North Carolina's wild horses are the Spanish
mustangs of Corolla, though they no longer actually roam the
village of Corolla and surrounding areas as they did for hundreds
of years. After highway NC12 was completed from Duck to Corolla
in the mid '80's, it brought speeding cars, population growth
and explosive development that proved too dangerous for the
horses.
Through the efforts of the non-profit Corolla Wild Horse
Fund and other cooperating agencies, the wild Spanish mustangs
were given protected status and were moved north of Corolla
to the last remote and mostly undeveloped land on the northern-most
reaches of Currituck Banks. Though the wild mustangs are mostly
safe there for the time being, their future is still threatened
by the pressures of incessant development.
These rugged and
hardy wild horses are proven to be descendants of the Spanish mustangs
brought to the New World by explorers and colonists as long ago as
the early 1500's. Expert examinations of their physical and physiological
characteristics, as well as DNA testing confirm their lineage.
Admirers come to Corolla and Currituck in droves to marvel
at these magnificent mustangs that run free in the eleven-mile long remote area
bounded on the East by the Atlantic Ocean, on the West by Currituck Sound, and on
the North and South by fences that stretch from ocean to sound. All one needs to
see them is a four-wheel drive vehicle to drive up the beach from Corolla, where
highway NC12 ends at the south horse fence.
Those who don't have four-wheel
drive can book reservations for one of the available wild horse off-road tours that
take visitors up the beach and onto the back roads to see these wonderful Spanish
mustangs in the wild. Another option is to rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and search
for the wild horses yourself. The best sightings, by far, are when the horses stand
atop the high dunes overlooking the beach, or parade along the beach by the ocean
waves in their travels
between
favorite
grazing
areas.
Nowhere else in the world can you see true wild Spanish mustangs in such a setting.
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