The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-01-17
WHERE PONIES RUN Wild.
eshacketford'a Hanlra" ON the Coast
of North CnroHnn THE Home 80
unnaredR OF rheh.

HundredH Of Theah.
No more historical as well as inter
sating and curious territory IS ia the
United States than the long sand
banks which mark the eastern
boundary Of North Carolina, and
which form a vast breakwater within
which are the sounds" through
which the government now proposes
to provide an inland waterway which
will end the terrors of Cape Hat
teras.
On that part of the banks further
to the southwark OF Cape Hatteras
there n little ponies, the only wild
horses east of the Mississippi-ponies
which have more than three CEN
turtles Of history behind them, and
which date back to the time OF
knightly Sir Walter Raleigh and the
days when the Moors of Barbary
were a power, says the New York
Herald.
The part Of the banks in question
IS known as shackelford's banks,
taking its name from the chief own
er. Beginning at 0cracoke inlet this
stretch Of sand reaches to Bogue in
let, terminating at Shackelford's
point, in front of the town of Beau
fort. ShackeIford's banks is aImost
40 miles long, low lying, with here
and there dunes or sand hills rising
TO a height of say 40 feet, tree Gov
cred, the trees loaded with vines, and
IN this mass Of nearly -sub-tropical
vegetation, much Of it evergreen, are
the Spanish bayonet, prickly pear or
small cactus, and the fan or scrub
palmetto.
On Shackelford's banks alone the
little ponies are found in their wild
state-nowhere else. There are said
to be about 1900 Of them on the
banks. Inquiry made Of residents as
to whether the number of ponies had
decreased during the last so years
brought the response that it had,
and that until about 1850 the ponies
had increased.
The ponies weigh about 800 pounds,
and their height is about 10 to IA
hands-that is, Az to Az feet. Their
life is mainly on the banks, though
in very stormy weather they some
times swim over to the mainland,
a distance of from two to five miles.
Their food is marsh grass, leaves OF
scrubby trees and shrubs and ber-
ries, particularly the berries of the
holly. The woods usually give them
a good shelter, and hence it is sell
dom that they seek the shelter of the
mainland. They live to quite an age,
but the average is. about % years.
Some reach the age of 40. When
they want water they bore holes in
the sand in low places and secure
plenty of it.
These ponies have owners. The
''banks'' are owned by various per.
sons, largely by grants sold by the
states. These people make pens out
Of driftwood and rough logs and
poles, and into these some of the
ponies and their colts are at times
driven and branded. A colt follow.
ing a branded mare is considered
the property of the owner of the
mare, and he holds it. In case.
where there are colts which do mo-
follow the mares, the "penners"-
that is, the men who make and owl
the pens-take them. Such is the I'm
written law.
The ponies are driven ont of tn,
scrub by drivers or herders, and thi
is a matter of no small difficulty, a
the scrub is often so thick as t,
be jungle, threaded by thousands O
narrow paths through the shining
sand. The wind and salt keep dow
much of the vegetation, so that Their
may be seen hickory trees not owe.
three feet in height, yet loaded witt
nuts, and horse chestnut trees equal
ly dwarfed.
The colts are covered with hal
several inches in length, nature
protection against the weather. Thi
looks like felt. It falls off in larg
fakes. Most of the colts are of
faded brown color, but some ar
black. These ponies are known i
all parts of the state as "banker
ponies. They do not appear to b
sold much outside of North Caroline
as the people in other states do no
' AAoN any bHlHS uDOub tueIl. Inc
cross well with horses.
When taken up country and fe
upon corn, hay and oats they fill on
and darken in color somewhat.
. Their instinct is remarkable. The
! know by means of it the way to ge
to the mainland or to islands wit
the minimum amount of swimmin,
: and the writer has seen them wac
great distances without getting OF
of their depth. making various turI
and changes of direction to confor,
C to the shoals, yet they are fearle.
: swimmers.
Though an inlet only about tv
, miles in width separates Sha,ke
ford's banks from Bogue banks, IL
ponies never so on the latter bank
nor do they the Ocracoke inle
The ancestors of these hardy al
/ valuable little horses were the Ba
barry horses which Sir Walter r
leigh sent over with his colonisi
to Roanoke island. Sir Walter r
leigh's colonists, when the reIi
Z from England was so long delay
in reaching them, went with the
= - 49, A. -,-s-7r-I ii