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A
family of mustangs strolls along the beach headed for another grazing
area. |
The
wild spanish mustangs of Currituck are often found strolling along the beach,
particularly in warmer weather. The ocean breeze is cooler than the sheltered
trees behind the dunes, and they can escape the biting insects. They also
use the beach to get from one grazing area to another more easily, and it's
a wide open space where they can cut loose and run.
| Two mustangs splash in the waves and cool off with the constant ocean breeze on the beach. | |  |
The wild mustangs can also be viewed off the
beach,
roaming the sandy dirt roads and grazing behind the dunes. They have adapted to the harsh environment and tough coastal grasses, thriving where other horses could not.
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| Currituck's wild mustangs thrive on the tough grasses that grow in the salty coastal environment. |
The best
time to visit is spring and fall, before and after the main crush of summer
beachgoers and fishermen. Though there are still a good number of visitors in the off-season, especially on the weekends,
it's easier to enjoy the wild horses than in the midst of the summer
crowds.
Traveling the back
roads of Currituck Banks to find the wild horses when they are not out on the beach
can
be
an real adventure. A good 4WD is a must, and prudence in navigating the deep mud
holes
of
ponding water
is good advice. In places the dirt and sand paths are packed well enough for a two-wheel
drive, but simply getting off the beach over the dune ramps definitely requires a
high stance 4-wheel drive off-road vehicle.
It is difficult to distinguish between
public access and private roads here. Private residences abound, but just like the
vacationing visitors, the local residents have to travel the same way - by off-road
vehicle to get around, and to go south to Corolla for shopping and necessities. Once
you reach the Virginia border at Carova, the sound-to-ocean fence blocks travel northward
into Virginia.
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| Rain provides sufficient water puddles for the horses, and the water of Currituck Sound this far north is virtually fresh as well. |
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