The wild horses of Corolla are in trouble

There are a few things in the world that I am passionate about, and here is one of them. There are these horses that run wild on the Outer Banks, mainly in the Corolla/Carova area. They are descended from Spanish mustangs and have been around for over 500 years. I have actually encountered them when we vacationed in the area in 2004. I photographed the horse pictured above. These animals are ruggedly beautiful. You see them walking the beach and grazing in the yards of beach homes. They have endured hurricanes and vicious Nor'easters. These horses are worshipped by hundreds of vacationers who flock here just to see them! So, why on earth would someone want to injure them? The past 2 months, 2 of these animals were victims of hit and run drivers on the beach, possibly ATVs. Both had to be euthanized. Well, ATVs are not one of my favorite modes of transportation to begin with. They are just a land version of Jet Skis, another mode of getting around that I despise, boater that I am. Anyway, it now seems that these tragedies are deliberate. People that deliberately harm an animal are inhuman. Their next step is to injure another human being, possibly a defenseless child. I hope these scum bags are found soon and brough to justice. Let's just break their legs and leave them abandoned on the beach for hours. That seems fair to me. These horse deaths are just cruel and senseless and need to stop.