Pony Patrol on the North Carolina Outer Banks

Since May of this year, my mom has had a very special volunteer position with the National Park Service "Pony Patrol" where she and other volunteers act as ambassadors for the wild horses that live on Shackleford Banks, an undeveloped island just south of Beaufort on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I was so excited to get to follow her and her partner, Paul, for one of their shifts where they greeted visitors and educated them on the horses and importance of keeping a safe distance from them, picked up trash and walked for miles on the sandy dunes in search of the horses.

It is believed the horses were shipwrecked in the 1500s and share DNA with Colonial Spanish horses. They've lived on the island for centuries and have adapted the harsh life it offers, grazing on cordgrass and sea oats and drinking fresh water from the ponds and pools on the island or digging in the sand to access water below the ground. Through all the hurricanes and extreme weather, the horses have learned to survive and thrive on the island, with very little human interference.

We saw a total of 9 horses while we were there who didn't really seem to notice us much, though we made sure to keep our distance. We even saw the body of a 25 year old mare who died on the beach earlier this year of natural causes and I couldn't stop thinking about all the hurricanes she witnessed and survived in her life.

If you happen to be on the Outer Banks any time this year, I highly recommend taking the ferry from Beaufort to Shackleford and walking around the island looking for horses, shells and watching out for the prickly pear cactus, that I, of course, sat on (second time in my life I've sat on a cactus)!