Pelican Pad

01/09/2024

25/08/2024

Our guests checked in and were greeted with the local “welcoming crew”!

Thanks for sharing! We ❤️ hearing from our guests!

22/07/2024

This little shell 🐚 hunter was on a mission yesterday. Sunny skies. Warm, calm, clear water. Goggles.

This little treasure hunter found three GORGEOUS whelk shells in the ocean yesterday by herself 😊

21/06/2024

On the 4x4! Stay alert 🐢 🏖️

26/07/2023

The tides are constantly moving in and out. Please make sure you are setting up in the center of the beach.

Hint: if you are setting your stuff on hard sand on top of tire tracks, that’s not the center of the beach. 🙂

25/07/2023

This is a hard one. Please, please be careful. I can’t stress enough how dark it can be at night in our area. A dark colored horse can be extremely hard to see. Even during the light hours, horses can run out quickly from the brush or dunes. Please SLOW DOWN and LOOK AROUND.

Yesterday morning we received a call about a horse that had not moved in some time, and was not bearing any weight on his front left leg. One of our staff went to the location and found 9-year-old stallion Thicket as reported. He was unable to put any weight on his leg and was unwilling to move. Our staff person also noticed pieces of a vehicle (shards of plastic from a turn signal, and pieces of plastic fender) on the road next to Thicket.

We immediately sent photos and video to our vet, and then reached out to the sheriff’s department. While we consulted with the vet, deputies went to the location and spoke with the people occupying nearby houses and examined the site of the incident. Unfortunately none of the houses had outdoor security cameras and no one witnessed anything the night before.

Meanwhile, under the direction of our vet, we made the decision to capture and remove Thicket from the wild to further assess what was obviously a very serious injury. He was sedated once inside the trailer to make the trip a bit easier for him, and taken to the CWHF farm on the mainland. Once there, he was given pain medication and an anti-inflammatory and put into a quiet stall with hay, water, and a fan. Today x-rays confirmed our fear - that Thicket had badly fractured his elbow. This was consistent with the trauma we suspected, as were multiple, significant lacerations on his shoulder and face. The height and location of these injuries were also consistent with a vehicle impact. Due to the severity of the injuries and concerns for his quality of life, we made the decision to euthanize Thicket.

We will probably never know who hit Thicket, or why they didn’t call 911 to report it so that we could have responded sooner. We hope that it was truly an accident; that it wasn’t due to alcohol or reckless driving. But to be honest, we keep asking ourselves what kind of person could hurt a horse that badly and then just leave them there to suffer?

Thicket was a young stallion in the prime of his life, and in the last year had obtained a harem of four mares. It takes a lot of strength, maturity, and good instincts to be a successful harem stallion. Not all of them are capable of it. We were so proud of him, and excited about the prospect of new foals. It’s a devastating loss for the herd, and heartbreaking for those of us who have watched Thicket grow up.

These horses face so many natural challenges that we can’t control, it’s critical that we don’t add to those challenges with things we can control. It is up to every person who sets foot on the 4x4 beach to be responsible, respectful, and law-abiding. Your actions have consequences that are more far-reaching than you’ve probably ever imagined. How many future generations of Banker horses died with Thicket today? We can’t afford to lose a single member of this endangered herd due to human irresponsibility.

Please slow down. Please do not feed or pet the horses. Please call 911 immediately if you witness horses in danger or distress.

Rest free, Thicket. 💔

www.corollawildhorses.org

23/07/2023

Another Sunday! Another start to someone’s vacation!

Sundays are our turnover days. What does this mean? Less traffic for you!

19/07/2023

Morning coffee ➕ swinging the babe in the breeze

🟰 perfect start to the day.

09/07/2023

Please, please be aware when you’re driving on the beach!

Day or night, there is always someone or some animal to watch out for. Night provides its own challenge bc it can be pitch black and you really need to take your time, watching for wildlife. Without stating the obvious, these turtles easily blend in with the sand and are slow moving, so YOU need to look for them.

Always avoid areas marked off with flags and reflection tape, as these are active nesting sites with eggs.

27/06/2023

So happy you’re here.

Part of the fun of a vacation house is adding little pops of fun, like bright colors you wouldn’t choose for your normal-everyday-home.

I also enjoy telling people I was going for a tangerine-like door color and watching their eyes get big. Lol. Trust me, people. It’ll come together just fine!

And it has. meets for a happy little coastal love affair.

25/06/2023

🌊 We’ve got a whole new vibe going on!

Pelican Pad has taken on a more relaxed, coastal vibe versus the bold and bright it once was. Swipe to see the before!

Zane with helped make all of my visions come to life! Wait to see what other fun little things we’ve done.

10/06/2023

We’re wrapping up some updates to the property and our wild friend is stopping by to see if we’re home and give his approval!

This particular horse is a regular. Just trots on in, looks through the window of our door to see who’s there, and then hangs out… sometimes for hours… looking through our door 😆

So, if you stay with us at the Pelican Pad, don’t be alarmed by the neighbor who likes to drop by unannounced.

11/04/2023

BIG… and we mean BIG 🤗 things are going down!

Bye, bye bright blue!
We’re ready for a redo!
Follow along to see,
How gorgeous this house will be!

07/04/2023

🐴 The first Foal of 2023 is here! Meet Dove! You’ll see her around our house this summer.

🐎 Look at how fast and wild she is! Super playful and ready to run! Keep that in mind while driving!!!! 🛑

🏖️ 🚘 Horses, but foals especially, are known to go running down from the dunes and straight on to the beach… where you will be driving.

⚠️ 🚸 🐴 For numerous reasons, please don’t speed and always be aware of animals, children, etc. Slamming on breaks in sand is a whole different situation, and one that no one wants. Stay safe and keep our foals safe!

11/03/2023

👏🏼 Yesssss, we agree! Tell us…

Have you stayed in beautiful Corolla before?

North Carolina continues to make listicles for its pristine beaches. The latest arrives from TheDiscoverer.com, as Corolla, Kill Devil Hills, and Ocracoke have been named [Read More]

02/02/2023

🕵️‍♀️ I spy… how many horses??

On rainy days, the horses tend to stay off the beach and more inland, taking shelter and eating. We have a fair amount of brush around us, making our spot pretty popular among the horses. So, a rainy day at the beach can make for a fun day of “I spy” 🐴 from our house.

31/01/2023

It’s National Plan For Vacation Day!

Are you ready for vacation?! Yep, us too! Let me help with your planning.

22/01/2023

Rainy days are their own kind of special.