Stallions trying to exert dominance at Cape Lookout/NPS

Running free on Shackleford Banks at Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina are 117 horses, which is just below the minimum number the National Park Service tries to maintain at the national seashore.

The target range for horses on the roughly eight-mile-long island falls between 120 and 130. Since 2005, the year-end population has ranged from 105 to 126.

Highlights from the annual report prepared by the seashore staff along with the Foundation for Shackleford Horses include:

•  At the end of 2020 there were 117 horses on Shackleford Banks.
• The herd is 62 percent female and 38 percent male. Of the horses over 23 years of age, there are 2 males and 8 females.
• The oldest living horses on the island are two 27-year-old mares.
• Herd mortality was 5 percent with six deaths. Mortality still averages 6 percent.
• Since 1999, the average lifespan of horses on Shackleford Banks has been approximately 11 years.
• Twelve foals were born in 2020.

The six horses that died during 2020 were a 25-year-old mare, a 7-year-old stallion, a 3-year-old mare, a 2-year-old mare, a yearling colt, and a foal. No definitive cause of death was determined for any of the horses, the annual report said.

Volunteers visit Shackleford Banks to educate park visitors about the horses that make the island home/Kurt Repanshek file

Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses emphasize that the most important factor in protecting the wild horses is public education. As a result, they have increased efforts to inform the public how best to watch the horses without interacting with them or interrupting their natural behavior. These messages are regularly communicated in the media and through programs like the Park’s “Horse Sense and Survival” tours.

The park now also offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the wild horses by taking part in the Junior Ranger Wild Horse Protector activity. Designed for kids in grades 6th through 8th, a parent, guardian, or youth leader may check out a backpack with instruments needed to complete activities like those done by the wild horse biologist. Upon completion, students receive an award and are certified as Wild Horse Protectors.