Why is the Federal Legislation Critical?

This is a Corolla wild horse with a locked patella. It is becoming more and more frequent in the Corolla herd. The wild horses that live on Shackleford Banks rarely have this problem. Why? Because they have been managed at a healthy genetic level of 120 - 130 since the passage of the Shackleford Banks Act into law in 1998. Horses on Shackleford that are most closely related to one another are removed in order to keep genetic diversity high. If we did that – we would have very few horses left because the Corolla herd has been too small for too many years and consequently has become too closely related to one another.

Why don’t we manage at 120 – 130 in Corolla? Because all our requests to have our formal management plan changed from a maximum herd size of 60 to a minimum herd size of 120 – 130 have been denied by the Department of the Interior. H.R. 306 (formerly H.R. 5482), the Corolla Wild Horse Protection Act, mirrors the Shackleford Banks Act with one important exception - it allows for the introduction of mares from Shackleford Banks. This would immediately breathe new genes into our dying gene pool. It is unfortunate that we must legislate what is not only scientifically right – but morally right.

The Shackleford horses live on 3,000 acres, have been managed at a target of 120 – 130 (with never less than 110) for the last 12 years, and with no documented negative impact to the National Park. The Corolla horses have access to nearly 8,000 acres. Only a third of that is owned by the Department of Interior – the rest is private land. It is not an issue of lack of carrying capacity to support 120 – 130 horses.

H.R. 306 has been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee and is awaiting further action. This legislation is nothing short of critical if we are to stop the continued genetic meltdown of the wild horses of Corolla. Without H.R. 306, there is a real danger that the North Carolina State Horse will be gone from the Currituck Outer Banks within a few generations.

The Corolla Wild Horse extends our heartfelt gratitude to sponsor of the bill, Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) and co-sponsors Howard Coble (R-NC), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), David Price (D-NC), and Ed Whitfield (R-KY).

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

As 2010 draws to a close, it seem like every television station, magazine and newspaper, both national and local, is running features on the year in retrospect. Every movie star that passed away or got divorced is mentioned. Tiger Woods, the royal engaged couple, sports highlights, and weather events are shown. Some other very important things happened as well, but you won’t see them or read about them but to me, they are far more meaningful.

Some very good things happened in 2010. The economy on the Outer Banks bounced back a bit. Our granddaughter was born. Members of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, at 0 on March 1, 2007, have now surpassed 2,000. The Colonial Spanish Mustang was designated as the North Carolina State Horse. Federal legislation was introduced to mandate a genetically and physically healthy herd size. Six rescued horses found loving forever homes and four horses and a foal were saved from certain death. Facebook has connected us with thousands of new friends who love our horses and support our efforts.
Through the dedicated and determined efforts of people like Steve Edwards, Vickie Ives, Tommi Gray, Josie Brislawn, and Edward Yousey (just to name a few), people all over the country are learning why it is so vitally important to save this endangered breed.

Their efforts and the efforts of others like them are critical to offset the bad and the ugly of 2010. The Corolla herd is down to one maternal line and our horses are becoming less genetically diverse with each passing year. Passage of the Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act is essential in order to save them from genetic collapse.Wild horses out west are suffering and dying during brutal roundups that strip them of their freedom and relegate them to life in a holding pen – or worse – sold at auction and shipped to Canada for slaughter. Ugly doesn’t even begin to describe it. http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/

When you make your New Year’s Resolution for 2011 – resolve to be a voice for wild horse everywhere. Join us. Save them.

Saving the Horses of Kings, One at a Time

On October 15, Herd Manager Wesley Stallings observed a yearling filly that was clearly in great distress. Her body condition was poor and he could see a large wound on the right side of her neck by her jowl. Kimberlee Hoey met him at the site and when I arrived, Wesley slowly moved the filly toward and into a paneled pen that Kimberlee and I created in the yard of a nearby house. Volunteer Todd Zeisloft picked up our horse trailer and brought it to Corolla joined by CWHF Program Director, Amber George and Todd’s friend Patty. Getting the trailer to the filly was no small feat as the roads behind the dunes had many deeply flooded areas from a recent heavy rain. On the way out Wesley saw a rainbow and the filly’s name became “Rainbow.”

Rainbow was in critical condition. Upon closer examination, she had a puncture wound right above her chest, the large wound by her jowl, and another near her poll. The veterinarian and blood work determined that the puncture wound was the original wound. It became infected and the infection traveled up her neck to her lymph nodes and literally blew out a hole slightly smaller that a tennis ball. The dying tissue had progressed to within ¼ inch from her jugular vein. She was a ¼ inch from death.

It is now 5 weeks later. With expert care from Dominion Equine and Wesley, she made it through the first and most critical two weeks. Now that she has turned the corner, our attention has turned to gentling, weight gain, and physical therapy to restore mobility to her neck.

Her initial vet bill was over $1,300. There is more to come. Please know that when you donate to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund – you are helping to save the horses of kings – one at a time. Rainbow thanks you, and so do we.

Number 19

Since arriving in September of 2006, I have experienced the deaths of 19 horses. I have had to hold the tubing with the lethal drugs in the euthanization of three and physically participate in pulling the horse that was shot out of the estuarine reserve. I watched it be hauled out of the bed of our truck by a winch for necropsy. Gruesome to say the least. These images are a permanent part of my memories. For a tender-hearted person, it can be totally overwhelming. I am a very strong woman but the last four years have definitely taken a toll on me.

On October 22^nd, a healthy 3 month old foal was found dead alongside an intersection of a sand road in Carova. Necropsy determined the cause of death as a trauma to the cranium. She was number 19. I saw her with her mother shortly after she was born. Each time something like this happens, it is impossible not to relive all the previous events to some extent.

I know that before our fulltime staff came, countless numbers of wild horses suffered and died unnoticed and undocumented. I know that because the strong survive and the weak do not, that is why the wild horses are still here. The strongest are left to carry on. But it is the deaths with no definitive answer as to the circumstances that caused it that haunt me the most, as well as the deaths that we know were caused by individuals and remain unsolved and unpunished.

My only consolation is the successful rescues - Uno, Tresie, Sunny, Hope, Croatoan, Manteo, Pomiac, Suerte, Tradewind, Valor, Barb, and hopefully Rainbow. Without rescue and the highest level of medical care available, they would have certainly suffered and died. There are also numerous horses that have been treated in the trailer or in the field and released and I feel very good about this. I am so proud that we have a herd manager that is as highly skilled and knowledgeable as he is compassionate. It is also so gratifying to have volunteers who are willing to drop everything and help at a moment’s notice.

But sometimes it’s just harder to focus on the good that you know you are doing instead of the frustration caused by what you don’t know. I need some answers and I until I get them, I will always have a piece of my heart that is broken.

Photo by Bob Schultz shows normal, not current, canal level.

Last week we got a call from Jared Lloyd of Back Country Outfitters. He saw a horse lodged in a vehicle rut, on her back, in Wild Horse Estates. This was in the area commonly referred to as the “horse pasture.” We believe that she had probably been rolling and slipped into the deep rut. This was one day before several inches of rain and high winds were expected and in an area that routinely floods. Herd Manager Wesley Stallings was able to get a rope around the mare’s right back leg and right front leg and pull her over. From there, she scrambled up and went on her way. Had she not been pulled out, she would have been trapped with torrential rain falling on her for three days. The area received about 12 inches of rain before the storm finally moved on. Drowning where she lay would have been highly likely.

That same rain event caused a very significant rise in the canals in Carova. Many docks were submerged and some still over a week later. Yesterday, a mare slipped or fell into a canal in an area where there were no breaks in the bulkhead for a significant distance. The water was well over the mare’s head. Although horses are good swimmers, and our horses are exceptionally athletic with a strong will to live, there is definitely a limit to how long a horse can survive in the water.

Fortunately for this mare, Carova Beach Fire Chief Bill Vann spotted her and called CWHF. Wesley was an hour and half away working with our horses awaiting adoption. I jumped in a vehicle and started up the beach to the site (about a half an hour drive). CWHF Board President and Sanctuary Patrol Officer, Kimberlee Hoey, who lives in Carova, was able to get to the mare within 15 minutes. With one her house guests holding her cell phone on speaker and Wesley on the other end giving instructions, Kimberlee singlehandedly saved this mare. In order to do so, she had to run out onto a dock and push the mare to swim around it with a lunge whip, then run out onto the next dock and do the same again, forcing the mare to swim north toward the closest break in the bulkhead. She repeated this process three times. The mare came upon a submerged dock and tried in vain to climb on it but could not. Kimberlee then had to scale two fences and push through heavy brush to keep the mare moving forward. She risked cottonmouths and falling into the canal herself. She was fearless and determined that this mare would not drown no matter what.

I have often said that the wild horses either bring out the worst or the best in people. This was far and away the best. “Thank you,” doesn’t even come close.

What Does the Herd Manager Do?

When we arrived as the first full-time staff in 2006, records on the wild horse herd were few and far between. Other than pet names given to a few, often seen horses, by tour guides and residents, there were no up-to-date or in-depth records on individual horses, harems, health issues, habitats, or herd numbers. We basically started from zero.

Actual day-to-day management of the Corolla herd did not begin until late 2006 with the hiring of a full-time herd manager and an executive director who both had extensive horse backgrounds.
• The first order of business was establishing a baseline study of the herd’s genetic health. This involved the collection of DNA samples via remotely delivered dart. (Both CWHF Herd Managers have undergone the required intensive training to qualify them to safely use the necessary equipment. Accurate records must be kept on all horses that are darted. Training was done on-site in Corolla and at Zoo Montana – all under the auspices of the Humane Society of the United States and Dr. Philip Sponenberg).
• Field work and herd monitoring occur almost daily, covering thousands of acres. A detailed record keeping system has been developed. Records are kept on individual horses as well as individual harems.
• Habitats have been defined, mapped, and correlated with harems and individuals.
• Vegetation within each habitat is being identified and studied.
• Water, soil and plant samples are collected and tested.
• Critical habitat is being defined for future conservation and pasture management.
• The annual aerial herd count can now be correlated with field data.
• Horses with life threatening injuries or illnesses are captured and treated using passive capture methods. Because they cannot be returned to the wild, they must be gentled and trained for life as a domestic horse. This requires several months of effort per horse.
• Thirty six wild horses have been domesticated and placed in loving adoptive homes since 2006.
• Injured horses are treated in their habitat whenever possible and appropriate.
• Rescuing very young foals requires bottle feeding every two hours. The herd manager sometimes sleeps in his truck between feedings in order to accomplish this.
• Staff are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to emergencies.
• Deceased horses are taken to Raleigh, NC (four and a half hour drive) for necropsy to determine the cause of death and for data collection.
• Barrier fences and gates must be constantly checked for breeches and repaired (including ocean cabling) and replaced.
• Thousands of visitors are educated about the wild horses by the herd manager either on the beach and behind the dunes, in the Wild Horse Museum, on a Trip of a Lifetime, or at an off-site event.

This is the “condensed for blog” version. Being the herd manager for CWHF also means long hours for low pay. It means being completely and totally committed to the well-being and long-term survival of the herd. It means your cell phone ringing at all hours of the day, night, and weekends. It means explaining to your spouse why you will be: late for dinner (again); have to change your vacation day; can’t go away for the weekend; etc. It means wearing snake boots and hoping that they are high enough and thick enough. It means caring so much that it makes your heart hurt. It is all of the above – and then some.

The North Carolina State Horse

It was a special day at Shawboro Elementary yesterday (in addition to being Grandparent’s Day)! NC Representative Bill Owens came to present the bill signed by Governor Beverlie Perdue designating the Colonial Spanish Mustang the North Carolina State Horse. Nearly one thousand students, primarily in Currituck County, but also including Dare and Carteret, took part in a letter writing campaign. For Currituck fourth graders, it was part of a state mandated writing assessment on an authentic topic. For other grades and counties, it was a voluntary effort. For all, it was an incredible learning experience.

The project started in March of 2009 with a program at the Currituck County Cooperative Extension Center. Students from every elementary school were bussed in for a power point presentation put together by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and an opportunity to meet a once-wild, rescued Colonial Spanish Mustang. The Fund also provided savings bonds donated by local banks and trips to see the horses for letters judged by teachers to be among the top three from each school. Winning students had an opportunity to read their letters at a Board of Education meeting as well as at another assembly in January of 2010 in front of County Commissioners and many other elected officials and dignitaries.

The designation as state horse has paved the way for further actions designed to protect and preserve the horse on a federal level – H.B. 5482. Both bills present an excellent opportunity for students to have a hands-on learning experience on not only how a bill becomes a law but how they can truly make a difference as a citizen.

We are so grateful to the Currituck County School District administrators, school board, and teachers, our Board of Commissioners; Representatives Owens, Representative Spears, and Senator Basnight, Congressman Walter Jones, Senator Richard Burr and most especially – all the students who wrote such compelling letters.