Wild horse dies ‘instantaneously’ while mating on Outer Banks beach, officials say

A wild horse mating ritual turned fatal on North Carolina’s Outer Banks when a mare “instantaneously” died while being chased by a stallion, according to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

It happened around 5 p.m. Thursday, June 15, in the Carova Beach area, not far from the Virginia state line, witnesses say.

The horse was a 12 year old known as Caroline, the fund said in a Facebook post.

“Witnesses observed a stallion aggressively chasing her and trying to breed her, and then saw her fall to the ground and die nearly instantaneously,” the fund said.

“Our veterinarian performed a field necropsy and found that Caroline’s neck had been broken. No abnormalities or injuries were found internally.”

Blood was drawn for analysis, but the fund does not expect to find abnormalities. The injury is considered in line with witness reports and should be considered “the result of natural wild horse behavior,” officials said.

“Caroline’s death should serve as yet another reminder of just how truly wild and dangerous these horses are — especially when hormones are involved,” the fund reported.

The death came just days after the fund posted video of two stallions engaged in a vicious brawl.

Corolla is on the northern end of the Outer Banks with a herd of about 100 wild horses. Stallions in the herd are known to be aggressive when it comes to defending their turf and mares in their “harem,” experts say.

An 11-year-old stallion in the herd was euthanized in March after it suffered “an irreparably broken hind leg” while fighting with other horses, the fund reported.

County law requires humans to stay 50 feet away from the horses due to their unpredictability.

The Corolla Wild Horse Fund is a nonprofit that tends to the feral herd, including medical care.

This story was originally published June 16, 2023 at 4:29 AM with the headline "Wild horse dies ‘instantaneously’ while mating on Outer Banks beach, officials say."