COROLLA, N.C. (AP) — Caretakers for a group of wild horses on North Carolina’s Outer Banks say a horse suffered only minor injuries after a collision with a vehicle on the beach.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund said Sunday that they identified the injured horse as a sorrel stallion that suffered only some swelling and scrapes on his muzzle as a result of the Friday night crash. The reason the animal’s injuries were likely not serious is because the driver was only going 10 mph.
The vehicle suffered significant damage, though, Friday night. The horse ran off in the dark and searchers looked for the horse over the weekend, concerned it might have been badly hurt.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund released new pictures of the horse which show a mark on his neck, which is apparently an old wound.
Four-wheel drive vehicles are routinely allowed to drive on the Corolla beaches, which are also home to herd of about 100 wild horses. Their lineage is believed to trace back to 16th-century Spanish explorations.