Outer Banks horse named Hurricane gets branch stuck in mane. ‘Don’t be alarmed’
Visitors on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may come across a wild horse with a large branch hanging from his mane.
But caretakers say he’s just fine.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund posted a photo of the stallion, named Hurricane, with a branch tangled up in his mane to Facebook on Monday.
“Not sure how he managed this but hopefully it will break and/or get pulled out soon,” the post said.
Jo Langone, chief operating officer at Corolla Wild Horse Fund, told McClatchy News the group has no clues as to how Hurricane got in the predicament.
But she said the wild horses that roam the barrier islands “get into things and these things happen.”
Sometimes a horse will walk through a brushy area and come out with a branch in their tail or mane, Langone said.
In April, the CWHF posted a photo on Facebook of a horse strolling on the beach with a branch caught in her tail.
“We call that accessorizing,” the group wrote.
In some cases, caretakers might try to get the branch out, Langone said. But in Hurricane’s case, the CWHF says they’ll “let nature take its course.”
Langone said they don’t want to risk Hurricane biting or kicking them and that he likely wants it left alone anyway.
“So don’t be alarmed if you see a stallion walking around with half a tree tangled in his mane,” the group wrote.
Langone said the CWHF had received calls from people worried after seeing Hurricane walking around with the branch dangling from his mane. But the group posted about the situation on Facebook to assure everyone he’s OK.
Langone emphasized that, as always, it’s important for people not to approach or feed the wild horses and to keep at least 50 feet away from them.
“We are excited to announce that Hurricane has been selected (as) ... the new branch manager of the Swan Beach satellite location of CWHF,” it wrote.
