Caretakers for a group of wild horses on North Carolina's Outer Banks say a horse suffered only minor injuries after a collision with a vehicle on the beach.
The Corolla Wild Horse Fund said Sunday that they identified the injured horse as a sorrel stallion that suffered only some swelling and scrapes on his muzzle as a result of the Friday night crash.
The vehicle suffered significant damage Friday night, and the horse ran off in the dark. Searchers looked for the horse over the weekend, concerned it might have been badly hurt.
Four-wheel drive vehicles are routinely allowed to drive on the Corolla beaches, which are also home to herd of about 100 wild horses. Their lineage is believed to trace back to 16th-century Spanish explorations.
The driver reportedly stopped and called 911 after accident.
On Monday, the Wild Horse Fund said the stallion, named Amadeo Jr., was likely spared serious injury becuase the driver was going slower than the 35-mph speed limit.
"He is one lucky horse," the group said in a post to Facebook. "The reason this didn’t end much worse is because the driver was only going 10 mph."