Wednesday, August 19, 2026
By Kip Tabb | Outer Banks Voice on October 21, 2023
Wandering freely among the 7,500 plus acres between the end of NC12 in Corolla and the Virginia line, the Corolla wild horses are as much a part of the beauty of landscape of the 4WD area as the beach, sand dunes and maritime forest. At this point, the herd is estimated to be at 100 horses.
The horses and that sense of simpler life are major reasons why people line the beaches of Carova or choose to vacation in an area accessible by 4WD vehicles only—a strip of barrier island 11 miles long with no stores, gas stations or services of any kind.
Visitation to the 4WD beaches of the Currituck Banks had been growing for some time, but when COVID restrictions took hold, the Carova beaches exploded in popularity. Development has also accelerated, and there is growing concern that the horses will lose habitat they need for their survival.
That quickly changing landscape is the most significant issue facing the herd, according to Chris Winter, the new Chief Executive Officer of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF), who took over that post in August. “When we looked back at where we were pre-COVID, and then through COVID and now post-COVID, up here in the northern beaches the amount of people, the amount of pressure on the horses and habitats is accelerating rapidly. We’re living in an ever- changing dynamic environment,” he said.
Although the herd is the focus of the CWHF, Winter points out that the health of the herd cannot be separated from the overall well-being of the area.
“Ultimately where this is so important is, we are talking about the future of that habitat and that means for people, for horses, and everything else that relies on that habitat,” he said. “If the ecosystem breaks down for the horses, there’s a good chance of breaks down for people.”
When Winter came to the CWHF, the organization already had a plan in place to purchase property to protect the habitat for the horses. “A couple of years ago, the board identified as strategically and appropriately, that land acquisition was a necessary step to continue to protect habitat to protect the horses,” he said. The hope is that a greenway for the herd can be created, something Winter describes as, “a contiguous corridor as opposed to kind of patchwork pieces of property all over the beach.”
At a special Currituck County Commissioners meeting in early October, Board Chairman Bob White brought up the concept of working with the CWHF to purchase land for the purpose of creating a corridor for the horses. Asked if he was aware that White, who owns Bob’s Wild Horse Tours, was going to make the suggestion, Winter said he did have discussions with White.
“He wanted to bring to the county the potential of having the county involved in…a public private partnership,” he said. “It’s an important conversation for the county to have.”
Winter noted, however, that although Currituck County has a role to play in helping to move the idea forward, the funding for a greenway would have to come primarily from private donors. In discussion at the county workshop, the commissioners held the same position.
There have already been some lots purchased by the CWHF, and they are well away from the shoreline where the most expensive and desirable lots are located. The herd primarily travels to the west of the dunes and creating a contiguous corridor in that area has its own set of challenges.
“There’s all kinds of different owners of the land here,” Winter said. “You have county property, you have state property, federal property and private property.”
It will take money to implement the plan, and Winter, who was director of development for Living Water International, and most recently, the CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina, comes from a background in nonprofit management fundraising. With that experience has come insight into why people choose to work with a particular organization.
“What I have found over time, is that there is an enormous desire to do good out there in the world, and we all find our place and for some, that’s the ability to invest their resources into missions that have the impact that they’re looking for,” he said. “When anybody gives money, they’re making an investment in impact. The most powerful thing somebody can do for us is hand us a dollar because they’re saying, ‘We trust you.’”
It is that sense of shared purpose that Winter sees as the heart of how the CWHF will move forward and how over time, the horses will thrive in an environment that people will also enjoy.
“If we ultimately want to see the long-term protection of the beaches, of the habitat of the horses, and the ability to sustainably live in the beaches as well, it requires all of us to come together and sit down at the table,” he said. “How do we build bridges? And how do we find common ground to move forward?”
Comments
Steven
Dude makes six figure off donations and whatnot for the feral horses. Definition of exploitation
BkT
The ongoing battle of development and open spaces. We could hope that this could be a national park for the horses.
With the proper funding and management it could work well.
I hope the best outcome for the herd, unfortunately when it comes to money and government decisions it is a lengthy process. Then private businesses looking to profit from the natural beauty will add complexity to the situation.
m
The Tours, Fund and Tourism Boards have played a big part in creating this problem and continue to do so. The Fund needs to stop the constant post! Using the horses for profit is what has put them in this situation and has ruined the beach and the whole area!
Kathy
I have been a horse lover my life long but only if I can get close to them. I have come to the beach for many years and now live here but have yet to take a tour of the herd. The Baum Center will take seniors tomorrow and I’m joining that group for the first time. The land here is limited and it does seem to make sense to preserve it without harm to horses especially.
Horse Pucky
“The most powerful thing somebody can do for us is hand us a dollar because they’re saying, ‘We trust you.’” The Corolla Wild Horse Fund and the horse tour companies have jointly created a very lucrative arrangement. Why would any informed person trust them?
The “non-profit” Horse Fund and the horse tour companies make huge profits off the backs of the Carova property owners. They have turned Carova into a giant zoo, both literally and figuratively. It is bad for the horses and bad for the people.
Bob White who owns the largest horse tour company is also the Chairman of the Currituck County Board of Commissioners and also the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Horse Fund. White is now suggesting we use taxpayer’s money to buy land to create a wild horse corridor that will facilitate his horse tour business.
At the same time the new CEO of the Horse Fund is also soliciting donations from the public. “Asked if he was aware that White, who owns Bob’s Wild Horse Tours, was going to make the suggestion, Winter said he did have discussions with White.”
A reminder to prospective donors — A Fool and His Money are Soon Parted.
Move them
Those horses are sick of being stuck between the weirdos in Carova and the tourists in Corolla. If we had any decency we’d move them to federal land out west. This strip mall we call the east coast is no place for the wild and majestic descendants of 19th century plow horses.
Dan-O
Always be leery of non-profits: they are there to make money. The directors usually arrive because the given NP offered them the best package to come aboard. Then they get to work trumpeting how critical their mission is. They are akin to university presidents: the one from Michigan then goes to UVA and is suddenly dressing in orange and blue ties. Then they go the Penn and dress in red, white and blue ties. As for White, patently obvious: a “corridor” for the horses is merely an overside pony pen. Great for business; bad for horses. Horse Pucky is spot on: a fool and his money.
So?
So are these folk really this short-sighted and they don’t get the big picture including the impact of rampant development?
People, environment, ecology etc are all inter-related. The more you build, the more you impact all the species on our strip of sand.
Travis
What Pucky said: The very cozy relations (sometimes not even relations – just one and the same person) should make everyone very suspect of where they money is going and the motivations of many people involved.
Ultimately the horses are going to lose out to development. The sort of space they need to live free and keep a healthy population won’t be possible to maintain with the pressure of profit. What the horses bring in as an attraction pales in comparison to a bunch of rentals/vacation homes.
Beachball
How many more tourists does the OBX need. We have all of the upscale grocery stores, and a Target, do we need more 28 bedroom “cottages” to finish destroying what we all loved about OBX! It’s obvious that the developers rule!
Human Utensil for the Rich
For the love of God!!
What about the turtles!!!
To hell with the horses!!
The turtles are magical creatures that will grant you a wish if you help them.
PJ
Lets get straight. If the horses were the main concern (and they are not..its the money they can generate ) the best thing for the horses would be to stop the dam tours and put up fences to protect them on some available land. The only difference between a pasture horse and these horses are pasture horses have a stable to sleep in and dont have to worry about ending up as road kill at the hands of a careless tourist who knows nothing about driving in sand. Seems to me that all the so called horse lovers who make money off them and the ones pay to see them are the ones exploiting the herd the most. Maybe the tour companies should donate half of their profits to save the horses! #banthetours
To Hell With the Turtles
To hell with the turtles. The real magical creatures are the dragonflies. They escort me out my driveway and dare the deer flies to even think about biting me.
Stuck in traffic
It says Chris was head of this and way up in that. But it doesn’t say what experience he has with horses?
Does he know how to stay off private property? Can he keep all his little do gooders in check?