Visitors to Corolla, N.C. enjoy tours up and down the beach of wild horses who call the area home.
After Monday, visitors will see one less horse on the beach after an unidentified driver struck 9-year-old Thicket, a stallion, and left the scene.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a nonprofit which manages and cares for the wild horses, received a call Sunday morning of a horse that had not moved for some time and could not bear weight on its front left leg. Fund staff noticed pieces of a vehicle, shards of plastic from a turn signal and pieces of plastic fender, on the road near where Thicket stood.
X-rays confirmed Thicket’s elbow was badly fractured, which was consistent with the trauma the Fund suspected, as well as multiple, significant lacerations on his shoulder and face. The height and location of Thicket’s injuries were consistent with a vehicle impact. With quality of life in mind, the Fund made the decision to euthanize Thicket.
Houses near the accident site do not have outdoor security cameras, and the Fund said they may never know who hit Thicket or why they did not call 911 to report what happened so that the stallion could receive medical attention.
“We hope that it was truly an accident; that it wasn’t due to alcohol or reckless driving. But to be honest, we keep asking ourselves what kind of person could hurt a horse that badly and then just leave them there to suffer?” the Fund posted on Facebook Monday.
In the last year, Thicket had obtained a harem of four mares, which takes strength, maturity and good instincts for a stallion in the wild.
“Not all of them are capable of it. We were so proud of him, and excited about the prospect of new foals. It’s a devastating loss for the herd, and heartbreaking for those of us who have watched Thicket grow up.”
Wild horses face many natural challenges that the Fund cannot control. Every individual who travels on the 4X4 beach must be responsible, respectful and law-abiding.
“How many future generations of Banker horses died with Thicket today? We can’t afford to lose a single member of this endangered herd due to human irresponsibility.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
