Shackleford Banks Wild Horses

Come see the legendary "banker ponies" who have roamed free on our islands for more than 400 years!

A real treasure of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, the Shackleford Banks Wild Horses are a unique historic and cultural legacy of the Crystal Coast region. They are descended from a core group of Spanish mustangs of the earliest explorers of Colonial America. The herd numbers approximately 225 horses that are the only inhabitants of this southernmost of the Outer Banks barrier island chain.

Ferry services operate daily to take passengers to view the horses.