Feral horses have lived and died on the islands of the Cape Lookout National Seashore for centuries, just as they have done on the islands to the north. Once they were commonplace on Portsmouth Island and Core Banks as well. Now they remain only on Shackleford Banks, a narrow margin of sand roughly eleven miles long, lying perpendicular to the south end of Core Banks. There are, of course, the familiar shipwreck legends to explain the arrival of the horses.The shoals off Cape Lookout and along the Banks are certainly treacherous, and ships often carried horses and other livestock. Even equine biologist Jay Kirkpatrick, in his book Against The Wind, credits shipwrecks with bringing horses to Shackleford as early as 1565.

But because human settlements were successful here for many decades, it is more probable that most descended from the livestock placed here by absentee landowners or left behind when the owners resettled on the mainland. Few records exist, and many generations of local residents grew up believing that the horses had always been there. Banks visitors during the 1800s were told that they were a native species.

Of the human settlements, Diamond City was the largest. Situated on the east end of Shackleford (before there was an inlet dividing it from Core banks) Diamond City took its name from the distinctive diamonds painted on the nearby Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Most of the 500-odd inhabitants lived off the sea, and the island supported an oyster house, an intermittent whaling industry, a factory that extracted oil from porpoises, and a crab-packing plant. There were schoolhouses, businesses, and churches; and the settlers' sheep, goats, cattle, and horses were permitted to roam the island freely or wander north to Core Banks. After the San Ciriaco Hurricane inflicted severe damage on the town in 1899, most of the residents moved to more stable ground on the mainland or on Harkers Island.

The Cape Lookout National Seashore was established in March, 1966. It extends about 55 miles, from Ocracoke Inlet on the north to Beaufort Inlet on the south. The only access is by private boat or ferry, and there are no roads and few facilities. Shackleford became a part of the Seashore in 1986, whereupon the Park Service razed the buildings; removed all the sheep, cattle, and goats and turned the island over to nature. The horses were grudgingly permitted to remain as an exotic species, because the public wanted them there. They multiplied rapidly, from 108 individuals in 1982 to a 1996 high of over 240 feral horses and climbing.

If no action had been taken, nature would have taken its course, and dozens of horses would have died of starvation. In the process, certain native plants could also have been grazed out of existence. This had already recently happened on Carrot Island, a sand spit lying to the west of Shackleford.

In November, 1996, the National Parks Service herded 184 horses into pens. All were Coggins tested for equine infectious anemia, and the 108 animals free from the disease were re-released. Before being freed on the island, the horses were also freeze-branded with large numerals on their rumps for easy identification.The seventy six horses that tested positive for EIA were euthanized in accordance with North Carolina State law. Subsequent round-ups culled any remaining positive reactors.

Today the welfare of the Shackleford horses is supervised by an independent management team of twenty-three individuals of diverse backgrounds. Veterinarians, biologists, scientists, politicians, concerned locals, horse activists, tourism leaders, and Park Service personnel all have a say in today's management of the herd. A population of between 80 and 100 healthy horses will be permitted to graze Shackleford, which should maintain enough genetic diversity to allow the herd to flourish. It will be assured that the horses have enough food and water, and that they remain free from EIA and other diseases. As the future unfolds, the horses of Shackleford can remain in a healthy balance with the island that has been their home for hundreds of years.