History of Horses on Cumberland Island

In the early 1500’s Spanish missions brought horses to Cumberland Island. In 1742, early written accounts record 50-60 horses corralled at Fort St. Andrews during the battle between the Spanish and the English.

By the late 18th century, 200 domesticated horses and mules lived on the island.  

In the 19th century as multiple plantations prospered on the island, they used the livestock for farming practices.  But with the end of the Civil War, most of the horses on the island were sold off to pay loans accumulated during the war. With the arrival of the Carnegie family on Cumberland Island, horses were once again a staple of the island.  Instead of farming practices, these horses were primarily used for recreational activities, such as for carriage rides, hunting, and horseback riding.  

Up until the 1960s, the horses on the Island were taken care of by local landowners.  By the time the island became a national park in 1972, these horses neglected for years became feral.