Horse Sense

After spending 12 years observing the behavior of wild horses at Shackleford Banks, biologist Sue Stuska has developed quite a bit of horse sense.

In her Horse Sense and Survival program sponsored by the Cape Lookout National Seashore, members of the public are allowed to join Stuska on her daily treks to the island to document the activities of the horses.

On a recent trip, Stuska took 22 adults and children on a tour of the nine-mile-long island.

The adventure started with a short ferry ride from Harkers Island across Back Sound.

Fiddler crabs skittered as the group landed on the beach on the soundside of the island, which is inhabited by a group of about 120 wild horses.

It didn’t take long for us to see the first, as a stallion named Stubbs came walking toward dry land from an adjacent marsh island. Four other horses stood off at a distance, but Stuska could recognize each one.

With every encounter of a horse, Stuska dictated into a recorder, noting locations, names and details of the situations she was observing.

It was low tide, and the group had no trouble walking along the muddy shores covered at times with needle

rush and other marsh grasses and often punctuated by hoof prints.

The horses had created pathways that wove between the beaches, hummocks capped by gnarly old live oaks and pine trees, and various watering holes.

Stuska said she is confident that the equine islanders had built mental maps of all of the pathways in their heads.

"I think they know where they are and where they’re going," Stuska said.

An estimated 100 deer an uncounted number of raccoon, nutria and fluctuating bird populations share the island with the horses.

According to Stuska, the herd has a complex hierarchy of harems dominated by "alpha" stallions that are frequently exerting their influence over the other challenging males.

Fights are rare, but standoffs are common between the stallions.

During the last trip, visitors saw 22 horses and two interesting confrontations between stallions.

In each instance, Stuska showed her incredible familiarity with the horses, predicting each action moments before it actually happened.

"I’ve enjoyed seeing the interactions between the animals," Newport’s Kim McGinnis said of the tour.

Stuska and the visitors always kept a distance from the horses but once, while standing at a watering hole, the group was surprised when a harem walked up to drink only a few feet away. Some of the group later said it was their favorite moment of the trip.

"It was fun and very interesting down at the water hole," said Caleb Keenan, 12, who came to the island with his aunt, Claire Payne, of Atlantic Beach.

"I thought it was great. She loved it," said Sandra Jimenez, of Richlands, who came with daughter Katy. "To keep a 9-year-old’s interest for five hours, you can’t beat that," Jimenez said.

"It’s amazing. I can’t wait to come back. I’m just impressed with all the horses that are out here and all the information that was shared," said Julia Bradley, who came with friend J.J. Farmer, both of Charlottesville, Va.

Everyone got in a lot of walking. Participants are encouraged to wear closed-toe walking shoes that can get wet, salty and dirty. There’s certainly no shortage of horse dung to stumble through.

"We’re worn out, but it was a very nice day," said Ross Guthrie, of Core Creek. "My sister and I are descendants of the original residents of Diamond City,"

Diamond City was a Shackleford Banks community that was wiped out as a result of the San Ciriaco hurricane of Aug. 17, 1899.

With cameras filled with interesting pictures of an exotic stretch of the North Carolina coast, the group was ready to catch the ferry boat back to civilization.

While the visitors were waiting, the island had one last treat in store when a stallion and three mares and a foal came down on to the beach and lumbered through us as if we were not even there.

It was a perfect last image to end a captivating adventure to the coast.

WANT TO GO?

The next Horse Sense and Survival tour to view the wild horses of Shackleford Banks is set for July 22. Others are planned for Sept. 12 and Oct. 18. The only cost is for the passenger ferry to the island, which is about $15. Participants must bring their own food and water. Reservations are required. For more information, call the Cape Lookout National Seashore Harker’s Island office at 728-2250, ext. 3001.