Wild Horses of Corolla aka Part 1 Vacation Photos

Last Tuesday I posted a WANT ad for a new assistant.  Click here if you missed it.  Well GUESS what the old gray mare aka Mom went on a mission to find me a new assistant! MOL MOL.  

They traveled to each destination via a very luxurious Motorcoach with Globe Treks....more details on this wonderful company at the end of today's post.

The first stop of their Outer Banks tour was to visit.......

Corolla Wild Horses

Descended from the Spanish Mustangs brought to the Outer Banks by early explorers, the Corolla Wild Horses have roamed across the Currituck Outer Banks for approximately 400 years. These horses are such a significant cultural and historic resource to our area that the Spanish Mustang was designated as the official state horse of North Carolina in 2010.

These wild horses roam freely in Corolla and are most commonly found in the four-wheel-drive areas of the beach. It is illegal to intentionally come within 50 feet of the horses, so that means no petting or feeding, but they can be appreciated from a distance on one of our wild horse tours. We have several tour companies that can get you within picture-taking distance while also giving you a great history lesson about the horses and the area itself.

My peeps road in a Humvee owned by Wild Horse Adventure Tours. 

 They road about 8 miles down a paved road

 all of a sudden they were on the beach riding on the sand

and for sure you needed to fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride.

There is no stopping allowed on the beach for about a mile and a half...

once there you go behind the dunes sand paths and to find the surprise of your life..

the most gorgeous, healthy wild horses.

When the Spanish approached the NC coast 400 years ago they let the horses off the ships into shallow water.  The Spanish followed them in boats.  Once on land they found the local

natives to be unfriendly.  The Spanish got back in their boats quickly.  Horses do not get back on ships out of water so they left them on the island to survive on their own 

AND THEY DID.  They adjusted to vegetation there and found fresh water in different parts of the island where they live today.

 As you can see they are gorgeous and healthy and thriving

 The picture below is of one if the stallions...the locals call the Egret a cattle egret.

These egrets and the wild horses live quite happily together.  The horses

attract insects...the egrets follow the horses around eating the insects.

This beautiful horse walked on the right side of the humvee where Mom was sitting.

Mom said it looked up at her with the most gorgeous brown eyes!!

All of the houses on the island are built up on pilings to allow for water to run under during storms. They all have carports not garages like the house below. Several years ago the resident awoke to find a mare in their carport...she had just given birth.  The name on the house

was Sweet Caroline...so the locals named the baby Caroline.

 There was an egret just out of the photo running quickly to keep up with the handsome black stallion.  

Handsome stallion and one of his lovely ladies

look at that gorgeous flowing pony tail

 After looking over all of the applications and photos, I have decided

this handsome fellow is quite suitable to fill in for the old gray mare...MOM....the next time

she takes leave without prior approval

Mom here:  I know nothing about horses (tame or wild),.  I know they are majestic animals.

After seeing these beautiful creatures I have learned they are smart and SURVIVORS!!

They know how to look after themselves and adjust.  There are approximately 100 horses in the Corolla herd....we did not see any 'wild' (LOL) they are all very calm.  Meandering along

about their business pretty much ignoring the humvee and the cameras..  Best time to see them is early morning.  We were there around 9 am.

Ramona, my friend, these photos are for you!!! I know
you enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

ALL OF THE PHOTOS YOU SEE THIS WEEK WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE MOST EXCELLENT
GLOBE TREKS AND 'OUR STATE MAGAZINE'
please click on the links above to visit their websites

WE THANK MR. GREG SUTTER, tour manager and guide and owner of GLOBE TREK 
and MS. JENN WHITE, tour host and
 Sales manager of ADVERTISING 
OUR STATE MAGAZINE
We would also like to give a great big round  of applause
to Mr. Joe Warren he is the best Motorcoach Driver
we know. This motorcoach was huge!!
Bravo to you three for your
Excellent attention to details all week and herding
24 excited humans all over the Outer Banks of NC.