Sunday, June 29, 2003
At Ocracoke Island, Banker ponies graze peacefully.
By JOHN DEINER and ANDREA SACHS
WASHINGTON POST
Drive far enough north on Route 12 in Corolla and you'll inevitably come to the end of the road -- or at least the pavement. The adventurous can continue along the beach, provided they have the power of four-wheel-drive.
Most stop and turn around, if they're smart (that's a big "if" -- one area towing service makes a good living extracting cars from the sand). Hence ends one of the best chances to see Corolla's famous wild horses.
Believed to be descendants of Spanish mustangs brought to America in the 1500s, the ponies are another victim of the area's rapid growth. When Route 12 was expanded northward in the mid-'80s, more than a dozen were killed by traffic in four years, and some ponies could be seen nosing around in garbage cans.
In 1994, volunteers constructed a sound-to-ocean barrier at road's end, thus keeping the herd -- 70 or so horses now roam the 15,000-plus acres extending to the Virginia border -- out of harm's way.
Several companies offer all-terrain-vehicle and four-wheel-drive tours so that the 4x4-deprived can get a glimpse, including Corolla Outback Adventure Tours (next to the post office on Route 12, [252] 453-4484; $99 per ATV) and Back Country Outfitters and Guides (Corolla Light Village Shops, Route 12, [252] 453-0877; 4x4 tours for $44).
Ocracoke Island
Another option is to travel south to Ocracoke Island, where 25 or so Banker ponies graze in the National Park Service's Pony Pen (Route 12, [252] 928-5111; free, donations suggested) -- a slight misnomer, since the graceful creatures roam about 170 acres of prime real estate, with water views and all-they-can-eat oats.
A wooden viewing platform affords easy sightings, or walk along a short boardwalk through the trees to see the ponies at play.