We like this spot, where just one looming structure remains in the dunes. It's fun to park ourselves and Mambo and hope that a few horses will appear on the tops of sandy mounds before bounding onto the beach.
It's easy to be fooled into thinking the gorgeous equines of Corolla are tame. Suffice it to say that they are well accustomed to humans. Their limited stretch of land on which to graze and roam now has eight hundred mansion-sized "homes" on it. Not too long ago, there was the occasional structure, as in the above pic. But now? Ugh. The mini-hotels, capable of housing multiple families in each, are endless. The problem for Mr. Ed and his pals exists in the fact that seventy percent of the small land tract is owned privately and carries the potential for much more building. The horses' advocates are trying to buy more of that land to protect the herd, but the chances of that happening are likely slim to none. Please read (link) the Corolla Wild Horse Fund Newsletter 2016, for interesting, albeit sometimes saddening, facts. But I digress…
Scenes such as this are not uncommon. Coexistence at its finest. What you don't see here is one of the horses returning to check the bucket! Too funny! But the serious fishermen just gently shooed our equines away. They obliged.
Later on, as we left the beach, we were nudged back to reality. A happy couple, stallion and mare, were challenged by a second stallion. An intruder. A chase and lots of whinnying followed, as the culprit was chased away. In the past, we've seen rearing and fighting amongst males protecting their harems and/or mares protecting offspring. Yes. They are wild. I hope the vid opens for you; it was taken through the windshield. We witnessed inherent characteristics. Happily, all survived. But will they survive us? They offer so much inspiration. I continue to learn from them. Just color me… you know.
