The first horses to be transported to North America, Colonial Spanish Mustangs, were brought to the New World by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and have been residents of the Outer Banks for the nearly 500 years. Since then, thousands of these have horses roamed the area feeding on natural beach grasses. Unfortunately, a combination of human development and extreme weather events over the years has drastically shrunk the herd – there are only about 100 horses left.
Bart Gibson, a Senior CADD Designer in McCormick Taylor’s Verona office, has vacationed in the Outer Banks since the 1990s. While visiting, he always spends time helping to repair damage to horse stables and fences after bad storms.
“These horses have endured in a place that’s not a green lush valley for many years,” Bart said. “Some years the horses look great, but some years they look very hungry.”
At Bart’s request, our Charity Committee provided funds to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, whose mission for the past 30 years has been to protect, conserve, and responsibly manage the herd of wild Colonial Spanish Mustangs roaming freely on the northernmost Currituck Outer Banks. They also promote the continued preservation of this land as a permanent sanctuary for horses designated as the State Horse and defined as a cultural treasure by the state of North Carolina. In order to keep the horses wild and free, the CWHF helps encourage Outer Banks visitors to keep their distance from the Mustangs and discourages feeding them.
Learn more about these beautiful creatures here.
About McCormick Taylor's Charity Committee
McCormick Taylor’s Charity Committee helps our employees give back to their communities. By becoming involved with our employees’ different organizations, programs, and charities, we grow closer to our employees and the places we call home.
Click here to see the other organizations we support.
