We all love foals! They are cute, and fun to watch, and most importantly, the future of the Corolla herd. Unfortunately, they also attract a lot of attention that can quickly become very unsafe.
Yesterday afternoon we received a call about a distressed foal, and responded immediately along with law enforcement. Sebastian was separated from his mom by a fence (she could easily get over, he could not) and got surrounded by onlookers and panicked.
In the end, mom and foal were reunited and everything was ok but it could have ended much differently. Someone could have been hurt by the protective parents, the foal could have been stressed to the point of shock, dehydration, or heat exhaustion, or he could have been injured as he ran blindly around trying to get back to his mom and away from the crowds. Based on the behavior we’ve been observing lately this is probably not an isolated incident and we are just very lucky that someone (horse or human) hasn’t been hurt.
We are begging everyone to please give all the horses, but especially the families with foals, plenty of space. Our staff and the county deputies watch as closely as we can but we can’t cover all 7500 acres of the 4×4 at every minute of the day and night. Please do not hover around foals. Take your photo and move on. Remember that 50ft is the minimum distance that must be maintained but foals need even more distance.
If you witness a foal being crowded, call the Currituck non-emergency number at 252-232-2216. They will send a deputy as well as call the Herd Manager.
This story originally appeared on OBXToday.com. Read More local stories here.