Dixie Sandcastle OBX

03/31/2025

Cutest little thing…💕💕

03/27/2025

Wednesday Wisdom: Protecting Sea Turtles Starts with You!

Did you know that only 1 in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings make it to adulthood?

These tiny turtles face many challenges, from predators to ocean pollution.

But together, we can give them a fighting chance!

Here’s how you can help:
✅ Keep beaches clean—pick up trash and fill in holes.
✅ Turn off beachfront lights at night to prevent hatchling disorientation.
✅ Respect marked nests and give turtles space.

EVERY action makes a difference! Let’s work together to protect these incredible creatures.

Remember, if you visit the beach, never go near a sea turtle or shine lights on them at night.

And please, when you leave,
KEEP THE BEACH:
CLEAN
FLAT and
DARK

And don't forget, if you're in the northern Outer Banks and accidentally hook a sea turtle, see a sea turtle on the beach, or crawl tracks in the sand, please IMMEDIATELY call the
NEST HOTLINE: 252-441-8622

This conservation work for protected sea turtles in northern Outer Banks is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit )

03/25/2025

We snapped this great photo of Finola earlier today and were excited to post it and say “happy first day of Spring!” but then realized that was yesterday. 🤪 So…happy second day of Spring! 🌸

We may sound like a broken record, but we can’t emphasize it enough - please give these new foals and their families plenty of space. When this group was out in a more public area on Wednesday it was a bit of a circus. Even if you are the required 50ft away, if you are out of your vehicle anywhere near these horses you are putting yourself at great risk. We witnessed several people nearly get run over by the stallion as he worked to keep other horses away from his mares, and we can promise you that no photo is worth a trip to the ER. These horses are wild - they are large, unpredictable, and can be dangerous. A seemingly quiet, peaceful moment can turn chaotic in a heartbeat.

Please give them the respect they deserve!

www.corollawildhorses.org

Ok, I’m updating this to better explain the point.

Here’s how these conversations usually go:

Us: “Just wanted to let you know you’re not in a very safe spot right now, you may want to get back in your vehicle/move further away/be more aware of your surroundings.”

Them: “I’m 50ft away, I’m not doing anything illegal.”

Us: “Correct. But the horses don’t have to follow that rule and they can move fast. Where you’re standing is right in between that stallion 👈🏻 and that stallion 👉🏻 and if they decide to start fighting you’re going to be in the middle of it.”

Them: “…I’m 50ft away, I don’t have to move.”

Us: “🫠”

In these cases, the horses aren’t in danger but YOU are. It’s important to be aware of your surroundings and understand that the horses don’t care if you’re 50ft away or 300ft away, if they start moving they can be on top of you in a heartbeat. We want everyone - horses AND humans - to stay safe!

08/29/2024

Beautiful morning!!

08/25/2024

Some special visitors (taken with zoom from front porch) ☀️🏖️🐴

08/18/2024

It’s a beautiful morning here at the beach!

07/29/2024

Please proceed with caution when driving on the beach…

Rest in Peace Bullwinkle

At 11:30pm on Friday, July 26 we received a 911 call that a horse who had been standing on the beach was struck by a vehicle. The incident was witnessed and reported by a visitor who had been surf fishing at the time. No other horses were injured. The driver of the vehicle was arrested.

The horse that was hit was 10-year-old stallion Bullwinkle, and the injuries he sustained were as follows:

-Significant skin trauma over the right side and back.

-Broken right hind leg with fracture of the lower femur.

-Left hind trauma and lateral destabilization of the hock with collateral ligament injuries, allowing the leg to bow outwards.

-Pendulous abdomen when standing and once euthanized fluid-filled abdomen confirmed with a fluid wave of manipulation, likely due to significant internal trauma and blood within the abdomen.

Bullwinkle’s injuries were severe and ultimately fatal. Our veterinarian arrived on the scene early Saturday morning to humanely euthanize him.

On Thursday, we posted a video of two stallions fighting and told the story of how the challenging stallion had been vying for the other stallion’s mares for several weeks. The challenging stallion was Bullwinkle. He was in the prime of his life, and went from being a symbol of what it means to be wild and free to a tragic example of how irresponsible, reckless human behavior can cause pain, suffering, and irreparable damage to the herd in an instant. Bullwinkle will never produce any foals. His genetics are gone from the herd forever and with such a small, endangered population the ramifications of that will last for generations.

Bullwinkle died as wild as he lived; at no point did he welcome our intervention and he remained wary and defensive even as he laid on the dune unable to stand anymore. The fight drive that he was always known for never left him, right up to the end. He was exactly what a wild Banker stallion is supposed to be, and we are glad that he at least never had to leave the beach - he was never meant to. He was buried at the edge of the meadow where the video from Thursday was filmed. There is not much comfort that can be found in anything about this tragic incident, but we are at least grateful that we could help him pass without further suffering and provide him with the respectful and dignified burial he deserved.

We’d like to thank everyone who helped us Friday night and Saturday morning, especially the visitor who called 911. Otherwise there would have been no consequences for the driver, we would have never known what happened, and Bullwinkle may have suffered for longer than he did. Thank you to our community who came together to help us that night and into the day on Saturday, to the Currituck County sheriff’s department for their quick response and on-going support, and to our staff and veterinarian for their unending dedication to always doing what’s best for the horses.

www.corollawildhorses.org

06/02/2024

Now that nesting season for endangered sea turtles has begun, if you visit the beach, please remember, when you leave,
KEEP THE BEACH:
-CLEAN
(remove all beach toys, chairs, tents, etc. & pick up trash on beach - yours and any other);
-FLAT
(take down sandcastles and fill holes before you leave for the evening); and
-DARK
(turn off Oceanfront lights at night)!
And don’t forget:
If you’re in the northern Outer Banks and accidentally hook a sea turtle, or see a sea turtle on the beach or crawl tracks in the sand, please immediately call the NEST hotline: 252-441-8622!
This conservation work for protected sea turtles in the northern Outer Banks is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 24ST10).

02/13/2024

Such a beautiful boy!
Welcome Eros 💙🩵💙

It’s a boy! His name is Eros. 💘

📸: Curtis Commander

www.corollawildhorses.org

02/13/2024

01/18/2024

co·ex·istence
/ˌkōəɡˈzistns/
noun
the state or fact of living or existing at the same time or in the same place.

We're all in this together! 🚶🏻‍♂️🐎🚙

www.dixiesandcastle.com

01/12/2024

Come visit the amazingly beautiful 4x4 beach of Corolla NC and see the Corolla Wild Horses wandering through the dunes and frolicking on the beach.

Www.dixiesandcastle.com

01/11/2024

The National Park Service reported Thursday that a total of 1,786 balloons were collected and picked up along the Seashore in 2023. Park Biologists not [Read More]

01/10/2024

Peek-A-Boo

🏖🐴☀️🕶🦀🐬

www.dixiesandcastle.com

01/04/2024

Our SUMMER 2024 calendar is open!

Come visit the amazingly beautiful 4x4 beach of Corolla NC and see the Corolla Wild Horses wandering through the dunes and frolicking on the beach.

Our home is 2 miles up the beach with DIRECT oceanfront driveway.

2024 updates include all new windows, doors, siding. New fireplace feature wall in great room and a new enclosed bonus room off kitchen. (photos to be updated soon)

4x1467, Dixie Sandcastle is a 6.00 bedroom, 4.00 bathroom vacation rental.