Running head: corollas extinction and what it would mean 1

Losing a Piece of Living History

C. Lamb
Mrs. Disher
December 19, 2014

corollas extinction and what it would mean 2

Abstract
Corollas are a strain of Spanish Mustangs that came with the very earliest of Spanish
explorers. They were resilient animals that adapted well to the harsh environment of the salt
marshes of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Corollas were part of our colonial history and
helped settle this country. They are strong and healthy horses with great natural endurance and
relatively low maintenance compared to other horse breeds. These Mustangs also have a very
comfortable gait for trail riding. Today they are being crowded onto ever smaller and smaller
parcels of land, while their genetic diversity declines. The risk to their survival from home and
business owners that consider them pests, means that their health and their numbers are
dwindling. These are valuable animals that deserve a chance to survive, but if we dont take
action soon to protect them, it will be too late.
Keywords: Corolla, Spanish Mustang, Bankers, Easy Keepers, Early American History,
Revolutionary War, endangered species, genetic collapse, Betsy Dowdy

corollas extinction and what it would mean 3

Losing a Piece of Living History
Corollas have been in North America for around five centuries, and have shared a deep
connection with the human race, both the Native Americans and the early colonists. They are a
piece of living history, seeing as theyve been around for so long. The Corollas were the first
horses of the Americas. They have been useful to settlers and colonists alike because they are
what are called easy keepers. That means they are able to function with a flexible diet. These
special horses are economical and easier for those with lower incomes to pay for. They are also
great companions. Since they have great memory, they tend to remember their owners. They are
filled with love and form close bonds with humans. The Corollas are important horses, because
they give us what we need; sometimes without us even needing to ask. If we were to lose them
we would lose something truly unique, it would be forever. They would never come back.
History
The Corollas got to the outer banks in a very interesting way. It started out with the
Spaniard, Lucas Vasquez de Allyons, expeditions. In 1521, Allyon landed in the outer banks, but
he immediately started having trouble with the American Indians. He had trouble with them
because he was kidnapping the Indian children and selling them as slaves. The Spaniards fled
because the Indians were getting upset over it. When they fled, they left behind their livestock
especially their horses. About sixty or seventy years later another expedition took place. This
happened in between 1584 and 1590, the expedition leader was Richard Greenville. Greenville
ended up bringing more Spanish horses to the outer banks. There is evidence from John
Lawsons Observations that the Spanish horses were known even then as easy keepers. He wrote,
Were we to have our stallions and choice of mares from England, or any other of a good sort,
and careful to keep them on the highlands, we could not fail of a good breed; but having been

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supplied with our first horses from the neighboring plantations, which were but mean, they do
not as yet come up to the Excellency of the English horses; tho we general find that the colts
exceed in beauty and strength. What Lawson was saying is that the horses that they had were
not the best horses they could possibly have had but they were hardy and exceeded the needs of
the colonists at that time. Lawson was not the only one to observe the Corollas, Edmund Ruffin
did a report on the Banker horses as well. Banker horses is a phrase that refers to the escaped
Spanish mustangs that had gone wild on the Outer Banks of Carolina. He wrote They are
capable of great endurance of labor and hardship, and live so roughly that any others from
abroad seldom live a year on such food and other such great exposure. He also observed that,
When the banks horses were removed to the mainland, away from the salt marshes, many die
before learning to eat grain or other strange provender, while others injure or kill themselves in
struggling in vain efforts to break through the stables or enclosures in which they are
subsequently confined. This suggests that they had adapted well to living in rough conditions,
and when put in easier living conditions it was hard for them to adjust.

Importance1
Corollas have importance in a few different categories. The Spanish Horses were really
the first horses to ever come to the Americas. They got here by import of the Spaniards, as they
were hardy and strong traveling horses with good endurance. Since then have held their own
over the centuries. The Spanish horses have become woven into our very history as a new nation.
Take Betsy Dowdys ride, for example. The story of Betsy Dowdy is one that owners of Spanish
horses should be familiar with. During the American War for Independence, the British General,
Lord Dunmore, was planning to raid and kill all of the livestock belonging to the people of the

corollas extinction and what it would mean 5

Outer Banks. This would have ensured that they would have nothing to pull their wagons and
facilitate their trade. When this news reached the Dowdy household, Betsy could not sleep on
this information and decided to take the news to the American Commander, General Skinner.
With luck and prompt information, General Skinner would be able to act upon this information
and stop Lord Dunmore. Betsy Dowdy upon her steed, Black Bess, swam though the Currituck
sound, rode through the Great Dismal Swamp, and the towns of Camden and Elizabeth City. She
then rode for more than 50 miles to reach Hertford, where General Skinner was encamped. It
takes a tough and hardy horse to make that kind of endurance journey. Banker horses were
important to the live of the early settlers who were just barely surviving on subsistence farms
along the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas. These people couldnt afford to own if that meant
expensive feed, barns, blankets, and shoeing. To this day, people who own these Spanish
mustangs find that they are far less expensive to keep. They tolerate a wide range of temperatures
because they grow thick winter coats. They live well off of native plants, and they are sick and
require vet care far less often. They also make great trail riding horses because of their endurance
and easy gait, and are excellent therapy horses that are used with everything from veterans
suffering from PTSD and children with profound autism and emotional challenges.

Causes
The Corollas are endangered for many reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is that
in the last 100 years, horses have just become less important to us. We dont need them like we
used to, and we dont come in contact with them except at sporting events or occasional trips to
places where they are still running wild. Another reason they are endangered is that local
inhabitants consider them a nuisance and a pest species. Some people will even shoot them. They

corollas extinction and what it would mean 6

shoot them because, even though the horses were there first, the local inhabitants get annoyed at
having wild horses on their lawns, eating their grass. There are, unfortunately many examples of
this. On November 28, 2001 three horses were shot according to an article in The Daily Press.
On January 4th 2006, a mare was shot. On November 20, 2007, another horse was shot, according
to the Virginian Pilot. According to WRAL news, more than half a dozen horses have been shot
in the outer banks since 2001. People also poison the horses, for the same reason. Some people
also poison water to kill them. Some things that you wouldnt think of, like watermelon, are
actually poisonous to mustang foals, and when people feed these things to wild horses, it can kill
them. Another reason why Corollas could go extinct is because of Genetic Collapse. The horses
head count is at about 103. The horses are in danger of becoming too inbred which would lead to
genetic collapse. Land Encroachment is another danger for them. Ever since the mid 1980s
people have been building businesses on the land that has been home to the wild Corolla herds,
shrinking their protected land. They are also too regularly hit by cars. A Corolla at Mill Swamp
Indian Horses, by the name of Sampson had met this fate. He used to be wild, but as a foal, he
got hit by a car and since then has been living in Smithfield, Virginia.

Effects
There are two main effects of the Corollas going extinct. First, it would have major
economic impact on the Outer Banks. The Corolla wild horses attract many tourists. People want
to see wild horses playing on the sand dunes of the beach. The symbol of the Outer Banks is a
horse. It would be shame if the only horse left were the fancy painted tourist statues. The other
effect would be losing a piece of living history. Corollas have been part of the environment and
part of our history for five centuries. They played a part in the creation of the United States, they

corollas extinction and what it would mean 7

are as much a part of our history as George Washington. They helped settle and build this
country. It would be a shame to lose living, breathing, beautiful animals like the Corollas just
because we wanted more land for our houses and transient businesses.

Conclusion
Corolla Spanish Mustangs, the Banker Horses of the Outer Banks of North Carolina have
played their part in history now its our turn to play ours. The Corolla Spanish mustang has a
long and rich history. Surely we can set aside some protected land for them on the Outer Banks.
To keep these horses and their history alive we have to encourage our government to take action
to save this strain of horses.

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References
Beil, L. (2012, May 07). Herd's Fate Lies in Preservation Clash. Retrieved December 16, 2014,
from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/science/wild-horses-fate-in-outer-banks-liesin-preservation-clash.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Burrus, D. (n.d.). History of the Banker Spanish Mustangs. Retrieved December 16, 2014, from
https://www.corollawildhorses.com/history-banker-mustangs/
Edwards, S. (n.d.). Understanding the Three Registries [Web log post]. Retrieved December 16,
2014.
Haas, K. L. (2013, January 3). H.R.126 - Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act113th Congress.
Retrieved December 16, 2014, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/housebill/126/text
MacLean, M. (2009, October 5). History of American Women. Retrieved December 16, 2014,
from http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2009/05/betsy-dowdy.html