Corollas Facing New Threat of Extinction

The wild herd at Corolla face serious threats to their survival on a daily basis. The offsite breeding program's purpose is to provide a safety net to stave off extinction in the event of a catastrophic loss of the wild herd. The program got off to a solid start but has been slowed down greatly by the nation's economic downturn. That will change. Economies go up and down. However, the program is running into a more insidious threat.

In order to maintain a genetically viable strain of domesticated Corollas we must maintain a solid pool of stallions. It never occurred to me that that would be a problem. The established horse world's promotion of the fear of stallions makes it very difficult to get satellite breeding stations off of the ground. I never realized how deep this phobia had become ingrained in the horse owning culture.

When I was growing up both Momma and Daddy rode stallions. We have trail rides with mixed groups of stallions, mares and geldings every weekend. A trained stallion requires additional firmness in handling when he is around mares in heat and he requires stronger fencing than do geldings. An untrained, undisciplined stallion is dangerous. So is an untrained, undisciplined gelding. The three most violent horses that I have ever known are all geldings.

The most horrific irony that results from this mindless prejudice is the position that the Corolla Wild Horse Fund finds itself in. The wild horse fund is unable to place stallions in solid homes. As a result they are forced to vandalize the bodies of one of America's oldest and rarest distinct genetic grouping of horses. With no placement options available they have no choice but to geld stallions that have to be removed from the wild for one reason or another.

At the moment I have two beautiful stallions available for placement in my pastures, The Black Drink, a weanling produced from the offsite breeding program and the son of Tradewind, and Edward Teach, a wild stallion that was captured because of a severe neck wound. They have not been placed because they are stallions and everyone knows that stallions are dangerous.

I will not geld either. If I cannot place them in solid breeding homes I will continue their training so they can become horses that I use for children and complete novices that want to learn to ride.

Last week my six year old grandson accompanied me on a ride. He was on Croatoan, a wild Corolla stallion. I was on Tradewind, a wild Corolla stallion. We all made it back to safety without a single casualty. I guess that we are just lucky.