The wild Corolla horses of North Carolina are welcoming the next generation of wild mares and stallions with the addition of four foals since February.
Ezra, a colt, was born in late April to one of the herd’s experienced mothers. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, an organization which cares for the horses, posted on Facebook that all of Ezra’s mother’s foals have been black and had no markings, but Ezra is creating excitement because he is a chestnut baby with a star on his forehead.
“Color and markings make absolutely no difference to the horses, but they sure make it easier for us to identify them when they’re older,” the Fund posted.
A colt named Eros was born in February and is part of a group that mainly lives in the marsh and remains less accessible for the Fund to gather details.
The third foal welcomed this season was a filly named Eowyn, also born in April, to dam Arwen and stallion Rohan. The translation of her name, which is from “Lord of the Rings,” is “joy from horses” in Old English.
Elvis was born in early May and his birth is creating excitement because he is mare Alma’s first foal, but also because his mother is a young mare who was ostracized from her harem at age two.
“She was a little lost for a while, but eventually found a group that accepted her,” the Fund wrote.
The harem Elvis and Alma are a part of is also the harem of Eowyn and her mother.
“It’s always nice when foals can grow up with each other. We hope that Alma stays with this harem – they are very stable, and the stallion is very protective. Alma is being a good mom and her colt, who we’ve named Elvis, is perfect!”
The Fund wrote that ostracizing of herd members is normal in wild horses and Alma just needed time to find her place as a young mare.
“These situations are often beyond the scope of our control and sometimes you just have to trust that nature will work out like it should, one way or the other. In this case, it seems to have worked out for the best and we are very excited to welcome Alma’s first foal to the herd.”
“Crowding them can cause unnecessary stress and can also habituate the foal during this very critical stage of his development. Causing a traffic jam around the horses is dangerous for them, other drivers and pedestrians – please be sensible, respectful, and law-abiding if you are driving on the beach this spring and summer.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
