 Since 1959, Bankers on Ocracoke Island have been confined to fenced areas of approximately 180 acres (0.73 km2; 0.28 sq mi). The areas protect the horses from the traffic of North Carolina Highway 12, as well as safeguarding the island from overgrazing. The NPS, the authority managing the Ocracoke herd, supplements the horses' diet with additional hay and grain. In 2006, as a precaution against inbreeding, two colts from the Shackleford herd were transported to Ocracoke.
