Island Farm on Roanoke Island is set to host Corolla Wild Horse Fund Herd Management Coordinator Kirsten Morse for a special program on Friday.
Colonial Spanish mustangs have existed for 500 years on the Outer Banks, Island Farm noted in a press release. The feral herd lives on through careful conservation, management, and ongoing educational efforts, event organizers said.
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The May 15 program is set for 10 a.m.-noon, at Island Farm, 1140 N. U.S. Highway 64, just north of Manteo.
Morse will join Island Farm’s historical interpreters to bring modern context to the history of the Spanish mustang breed. Also included in the program will be the history of the colonial Spanish mustangs, their introduction to the Outer Banks, and historic uses over the centuries.
At Island Farm, the breed is represented in the site’s Heritage Livestock Program by two horses, Grace and Rainbow.
In the 19th century, banker horses were used endlessly across the Outer Banks in traditional farm work and transportation and in maritime pursuits like hauling nets or patrolling the beach after shipwrecks.
Today, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund protects and manages the existing herd along the northern beaches in Currituck County.
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Island Farm’s Banker Pony Program continues weekly throughout the 2026 season, where visitors are encouraged to interact with the farm’s horses and learn more about the history and vast importance of the breed.
Admission to the site is $11, and children 3 and younger are admitted free of charge.
Island Farm is open March to December, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., where programming and events vary throughout the season.
