Wild Horses of the Outer Banks

What to Expect

Photographing the wild horses on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a uniquely serene and humbling experience. These horses, descendants of Spanish mustangs brought to the area centuries ago, roam freely along the remote beaches, maritime forests, and dunes.

We will start before sunrise, when the light is soft and golden. The beaches stretch wide and open, with the Atlantic surf on one side and dunes or maritime forest on the other. There's a wild, windswept stillness to it — the kind that feels untouched by time.

Driving on the sand (in my 4x4) adds a sense of adventure. You may spot the horses walking along the shoreline, grazing near the dunes, or standing silhouetted against the morning mist. Other times, they appear suddenly — over a dune ridge, framed by sea oats and windblown grass.

When it all comes together — a stallion against the surf at sunset, or a mare and foal backlit by morning sun — it’s breathtaking. You capture not just a horse, but a piece of history and wild beauty that still endures on this thin, shifting strip of land between sea and sound.