I spent 2 days hiking and biking the trails and beaches of Cumberland Island. The largest and southernmost barrier island in Georgia, Cumberland Island is 17.5 miles long and has 36,415 acres. The best way to cover that much ground is to bike it! Bikes are limited for use only on the 'main road' but can be parked at any trailhead you want to hike.
Cumberland Island National Seashore is well known for its sea turtles, wild turkeys, wild horses, armadillos, abundant shore birds, dune fields, maritime forests, salt marshes, and historic structures! Whatever path you take, you are swaddled in beauty. The pace is leisurely and time is of little significance on this magical island where beauty abounds!
There are nearly 200 wild horses on Cumberland Island (accessible only by boat). Oral history says that the horses are descendants of Polo ponies that were released during the Depression when the families could no longer provide for their welfare. The horses receive no medical treatment from veterinarians, living and dying as nature sees fit.
The National Park Service requires visitors remain a minimum of 50 feet from the horses. Despite this requirement, there are always those persons who attempt to feed or pet them. I witnessed this several times. Wild horses are wild. They are not handled and can be unpredictable. Even a trained horse can be unpredictable. While they may tolerate human presence they should be respected and not approached. Visitors sometimes wrongly think that if a horse approaches them then they must be friendly and safe. This is not necessarily true. When I am photographing wild horses, inevitably there will be one or two who are curious about me and will approach me. When this happens I back up or get up, turn around, and walk away. The goal is to keep wild horses wild. This is for their own protection as well as yours.
I had heard the horses are most often found at the Dungeness Ruins. This was my first destination once I got off the ferry. Although I did find the horses there, there were only a few. For the most part they kept their noses to the ground, doing what horses do. Initially, they popped up their heads to check me out and apparently found me to be boring because they quickly resumed their grazing. This is good. This tells me they are comfortable with my presence and I am not too close. My general rule is to stay with the horses until I feel like I have gotten all the shots I can get and then move on in search of others. The horses at the Dungeness Ruins seemed to have the disappearing act mastered! They could be nonchalantly grazing on the lawns of the mansion ruins one minute, then suddenly disappear into the maritime forest. Once they entered the forest it was very difficult to track them! Unlike me, they know their worn paths and can wind their way through the maze of low branches, tree roots, and scrub with ease.
