Don’t be this person

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund posted a photo Saturday morning of a woman appearing to pet a wild stallion on the beach. [CWHF photo]

Approaching wild horses on the beach isn’t only dangerous and illegal, it jeopardizes the horse’s freedom and the future of the entire herd of Colonial Spanish mustangs roaming the northern Outer Banks beaches.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund on Saturday posted a photo of a woman who appears to be petting a stallion on the beach. The horse in the photo is on edge, said Meg Puckett, CWHF’s herd manager.

“This stallion has spent the last three days battling for his mares. He lost them, got them back for a while, lost them again, and now he’s back with them,” Puckett wrote in a Facebook post. “He is not only on high alert, ready to fight at a moment’s notice, but he is also exhausted. He can’t even rest because people won’t respect his space.

“Don’t be selfish and inconsiderate like this. Admire the horses from a distance and respect the laws that are in place to keep everyone safe. It’s a pretty simple concept.”

Currituck County law makes it illegal for any person to lure, attract, entice, or feed a wild horse. In addition, it is illegal to come within 50 feet of a wild horse. You can read the ordinance here: https://www.corollawildhorses.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/wild-horse-ordinance.pdf

Puckett said CWHF staff is responding with information and law enforcement has been notified.

Feeding and interacting with the wild horses not only habituates them to humans, jeopardizing their ability to stay in the wild, food outside their natural diets can cause illness and even death. And approaching wild horses, caretakers say, is dangerous for both people and horses.

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About Kari Pugh 1073 Articles
Kari Pugh is digital director for OBXToday.com, Beach 104, 99.1 The Sound, 94.5 WCMS and News Talk 92.3 WZPR. Reach her at kpugh@jammediallc.com