Though the horses at Assateague Island National Seashore that straddles the Maryland-Virginia border are habituated to visitors, that doesn't mean they're tame. Some visitors haven't gotten that message, and one woman is lucky to be alive despite her ill-advised actions.
The elderly woman figured she could shoo a horse away from a beach blanket with a whack to the behind with a shovel, and the horse nearly took her head off with a kick. Surprisingly, the woman got up and again went after the horse.
In another incident, a man decided he'd show his friends how to ride one of the horses. Other visitors summoned rangers, who cited the man. He faces a potential $5,000 fine.
Park staff try to remind visitors that the horses are wild.
Assateague's horses are beautiful, tough, and wild. They have learned to survive in a harsh environment. Feeding and/or petting them is detrimental to both visitors and horses. Horses can get sick from human food. Those that learn to come up to the road to beg for food are often hit and killed by cars. Visitors are kicked, bitten and knocked down every year as a direct result of getting too close to the wild horses. Treating wild horses like tame animals takes away the wildness that makes them special. Protect your family by respecting theirs. Give the horses the space they need to be wild.
Comments
I think if the NPS knows her identity she should be banned from all their facilities for several years, if not life. If that seems too extreme to some, maybe putting in some "volunteer" time working at an NPS facility would be a little bit of an educational tool.
Agreed - she needs an attitude adjustment.
There should be a no Tolerance Law and heavy fines.
Just came back from that special place. It hurts my heart and soul to see people abuse this place the way they do. Disrespecting the biome that is their home not ours. We are their guests not the other way around. And we think it's funny that they get into a bag of potato chips. This woman should be fined, banned, and add another swift kick to the head apparently the first one the horse gave wasn't hard enough.
Humans should take over the island. The Horses over stayed their welcome
She needs to be arrested and banned! It is the horses home and she is the visitor. That was animal Abuse! What is wrong with people.
Gosh, Joe Jones, that's exactly what my ancestors kept saying about your ancestors. Well, to be completely honest, it's actually what we're still saying.
No words for this comment. People that have no clue should keep their distance. She obviously was clueless. It's nodifferent than the wild mustangs in the west. They all need a place to be.