Wild horse dies of broken neck during violent ritual on Outer Banks, expert says

One of North Carolina’s beloved wild horses was discovered with a broken neck, and evidence indicates it was the result of a violent ritual on the Outer Banks.

Two-year-old Donner was likely killed by a larger stallion in a battle over turf, according to the Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

A tourist reported the horse’s limp body Wednesday, June 4, in the yard of a rental home near the North Swan Beach area, officials said. The community is about a 230-mile drive northeast from Raleigh.

“He sustained injuries consistent with fighting with another stallion, including a broken neck,” Herd Manager Meg Puckett wrote in a Facebook post.

“While it is devastating to lose a healthy, young horse from the herd, this is what it means to be wild and free. This kind of behavior may seem brutal to us, but it is a natural part of healthy herd dynamics.”

Outer Banks stallions engage in no-holds barred combat during disputes over mates or territory, experts say. Tactics include kicking, butting and biting out chunks of flesh from each other.

Donner likely came under attack when he strayed into the territory of a larger stallion, Puckett said. Wounds on the ears indicate Donner was grabbed and slung, and the force was enough to snap his neck, Puckett told McClatchy News in a phone interview.

He died instantly.

While brutal, “survival of the fittest is a very real and important thing” among the horses, Puckett says.

“Interfering with the natural order of things can have consequences that impact the overall health and stability of the herd,” she wrote on Facebook.

“This colt’s death should serve as a reminder of just how fragile life can be for these horses. They face so many natural challenges to their survival; there is no guarantee that every foal will make it to adulthood, even under the best circumstances. We can’t control nature (and we wouldn’t want to).”

Donner was buried late Wednesday by the fund, which uses donations for medical emergencies and to tend the habitat of the 110 horses that roam Corolla. The fund does not receive state or federal funding.

It will likely never be known which stallion killed Donner, who was too young to have learned how to defend himself, Puckett said.

“Every death like this is hard. They are wild animals, but we know them very, very well as individuals. So you can’t help but get attached to them,” she said. “Anyone who does this work and doesn’t get attached is in the wrong line of work. You have to care and love them.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Wild horse dies of broken neck during violent ritual on Outer Banks, expert says."