Wild Horses

GREAPER

On the Outer Banks of North Carolina in and around the town of Corolla there is a herd of Wild horses. I am told the horses are decendents of escaped horses of the first settlers to North America. There are several hundred horses running free in a refuge set aside for them. The refuge includes several miles of beach.

I was lucky enough to come across a group of them on the edge of the beach on the Atlantic side.



They were very protective of the colt and kept it between them almost all of the time. This is the best shot I got of the colt.



It was mid day and the sun was harsh, but I was excited to get the shots I did. The people I was with said they they have been going there for vacation for several years and had never seen the horses on the beach.





Thanks for looking.

Brian

GREAPER

Here is another.



Brian

ginger_55

That is really cool Greaper/Brian! I vacationed with my family, camping, all over the Outer Banks, in the late seventies. A three week vacation there.

The horses were, disappointingly, confined and could not be on the beach. I think it is great that they are "back", so to speak. And good shots of them, too.

ginger

GREAPER

Thanks Ginger,

It was my first time in the area. The horses were on my list of things to seek out.

I feel I was pretty lucky.

Harryb

Excellent captures Brian.

Steve Cavigliano

Brian,

Good work and an enjoyable narrative I was about to comment that the last 2 butt shots were my favs til I saw the additional pic you posted. That one is schweeeeeeeet


Steve

GREAPER

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Brian,

Good work and an enjoyable narrative I was about to comment that the last 2 butt shots were my favs til I saw the additional pic you posted. That one is schweeeeeeeet


Steve

Thx Steve

I made sure I got a butt shot for Jeff...

Dee

Years and years ago
we visited the wild horses and were lucky enough to see some, but not on the beach. They look so neat on the beach! You were indeed VERY lucky and your photos are great!

Rohirrim

Nice shots. Interesting to see horses near the beach.

I'm concerned about the general condition of the horses though. The first (stallion?) and the Mare with the colt are very thin (close to emaciated). The 2 mares in the last pick look in better condition though, so maybe the first two are not representative of the rest of the herd.

Higgmeister

Hi Brian and Steve,
The last shot you posted is very nice. I like your comp, the water background and a ground perspective shot really isolates your subject.

It looks like the darker mare is pregnant. Good series, how many horses were there?

We are lucky where I live (Reno, NV). Within a 30 minute ride, we can usually see 2-3 bands of wild horses, some herds with 20+ horses. It's quite exciting no matter how many times I see this.

Thanks for sharing these,
Chris

Rohirrim wrote:

Nice shots. Interesting to see horses near the beach.

I'm concerned about the general condition of the horses though. The first (stallion?) and the Mare with the colt are very thin (close to emaciated). The 2 mares in the last pick look in better condition though, so maybe the first two are not representative of the rest of the herd.

Hi Steve,
Yes, they look like our wild horses after a rough winter in the Virginia Range. Our problem is that we have too many horses and not enough good range for them. Sad:cry.

Chris