Travel North Carolina Outer Banks Tourist Captures Incredible Moment Brawling Wild Stallions Stop Beach Traffic “A great reminder of how very wild and very powerful these amazing animals are!” By Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep has more than a decade of writing and editing experience for top publications. Her expertise extends from weddings and animals to every pop culture moment in between. She has been scouring the Internet for the buzziest Southern news since joining the team in 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 19, 2023 Fact checked by Jennifer Hawk Fact checked by Jennifer Hawk Jennifer Hawk is a former English professor with 24 years of experience guiding even the most reluctant through the labyrinths of writing, rhetoric, and research. brand's fact checking process Share Tweet Pin Email Two wild stallions treated visitors to Corolla, North Carolina, to a dramatic show earlier this month. A series of incredible photos shared to Facebook show two male horses reared on their back legs and going at each other like boxers while spectators look on from the safety of their 4x4 vehicles. Erin Millar Photography "Acorn and Junior were having a very serious conversation about something—most likely mares," Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF) wrote alongside the photos. "A great reminder of how very wild and very powerful these amazing animals are!" The moment was captured by photographer Erin Millar of Roanoke, Virginia, who was visiting the Outer Banks for the first time with her husband Jeff. "There was a herd of about six horses just relaxing on the shore for quite a while, which is why I had my camera positioned there," Millar recalled to McClatchy News "Suddenly, a second stallion came running down the shore towards the herd. As he approached them, they all ran to the dunes out of the way and the two remaining stallions started brawling. The trucks were traveling down the shoreline when the stallions ran in front of them. When it started, everyone around backed up even further." Then after about 30 seconds or a minute, it was over, and the herd "carried on as if nothing happened," Millar noted. It's common for males to fight over both territory and mares. For the safety of humans and horses, it's against the law to get within 50 feet of the majestic creatures year-round, but experts warn that fighting stallions don't always respect boundaries. These fights can ignite anywhere and without warning. And while these tussles look bad, the horses aren't actually trying to kill each other, just establish dominance. According to CWHF "this is all in a normal day's work for a stallion. They may get wounds that look bad, and even scar, but 99% of the time they heal up just fine." Be careful out there, y'all! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Southern Living is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Hiney K. Stallion Behavior and Management. Oklahoma State University Extension.