News Release

2023 Shackleford Banks Horse Findings Report

Two mares graze in winter. Photo was taken with a telephot lens and cropped.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: March 6, 2024

Contact: Nate Toering, 252-838-8909

HARKERS ISLAND, NC – The 2023 annual findings report on the Shackleford Banks horses has been released by Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses. This report, covering the calendar year 2023, is available on the park’s website at: https://go.nps.gov/horsereports 

Highlights from the report include: 

• At the end of 2023, there were 117 horses on Shackleford Banks. 

• The herd is 62% female and 38% male. Of the oldest horses (17 years of age and older), 23 are female and 1 is male.  

• The oldest living horse on the island is a 29-year-old mare. 

• Five foals were born in the spring and summer. 

• Herd mortality averages 6% between 1991 and 2023. 

Cape Lookout National Seashore and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses emphasize that the most important factor in protecting the wild horses is public education. As a result, they have increased efforts to inform the public how best to watch the horses without interacting with them or interrupting their natural behavior. These messages are regularly communicated in the media and through programs like the Park’s “Horse Sense and Survival” tours which take place monthly in the summer and fall. New in 2023 was the acclaimed Pony Patrol with 26 Volunteers in Parks (VIPs) making 2100 visitor contacts during the summer.   

The park offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the wild horses by taking part in the Junior Ranger Wild Horse Protector activity. Designed for kids in grades 6 through 8 with the help of an adult, this requires a parent, guardian, or youth leader to check out a backpack with instruments needed to complete activities like those done by the wild horse biologist. Upon completion, students receive an award and are certified as Wild Horse Protectors.