Some ponies would be broken for riding or sold, and the rest were turned loose to roam free again. But eroding beachfronts are causing homes to collapse into the ocean, littering the shore with debris and creating new concerns for the park and the safety of its visitors and wildlife. Once in the pens they would sort out the ponies and brand the new ones. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a popular tourist destination drawing millions of visitors each year to its beaches, lighthouses and other attractions. Accessible only by ferry, private boat or plane, Ocracoke has the cozy feel of a small fishing village, but you’ll find several restaurants, gift shops, and some of the most desirable beaches to enjoy with your family. Riders would start early in the morning at the north end of the island and drive the ponies into the village where holding pens had been constructed. Also part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is Ocracoke Island, boasting 16 miles of pristine, undeveloped beaches. As time progressed, the families that lived on the island claimed the ponies, holding pony penning in the summer. The US Coast Guard kept a small band of Banker ponies to patrol the beaches in World War II. Lifesaving Service used them for beach patrols and to haul equipment to shipwreck sites. 252/441-5711 daily 9am-6pm in summer, 9am-5pm all other times), or the Hatteras. You can get more information at one of the following national park facilities: the Bodie Island Visitor Center, Bodie Island Lighthouse, 6 1/2 miles south of Whalebone Junction (tel. When the early colonists settled Ocracoke, they used the ponies to help make life easier on the island by pulling carts to haul freight and fish. Planning a Trip in Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
The ponies have played a major role in the island’s history, serving residents as beasts of burden at work and play, in beach rides and races. Physically, the Ocracoke ponies are different from other horses - they have a different number of vertebrae and ribs as well as a distinct shape, posture, color, size, and weight that sets them apart from other horses. While small and powerful, they are full-grown horses that are often called or referred to as Banker ponies, as their range included most of the Outer Banks. There have been as many as 300 horses on the island. Horses have been documented on Ocracoke Island since the first European settlers came to stay in the 1730s. There is speculation that the ship's crew may have unloaded Spanish mustangs on Ocracoke Island. In 1585, Sir Richard Grenville’s English ship, the Tiger, sustained heavy damage after it was forced to anchor off the Atlantic coast due to it being too large to enter the sounds surrounding Roanoke Island. The livestock were often left behind when the ship again set sail. European ships commonly carried livestock to the New World, and if a ship ran aground near the coast, animals were thrown overboard to lighten the load, so the ship could be re-floated.
Legend has it that the “Banker” horses of Ocracoke were left here by shipwrecked explorers in the 16th or 17th century. Banker ponies in their pasture on Ocracoke Island.
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