Shackleford Banks is one of the few places on the Eastern United States where wild horses can be viewed. The horses have Spanish ancestry, and their origins likely date from colonial times. They display behaviors such as foals stopping their mothers to nurse and dominant stallions herding harems of female horses, and stallions will fight to retain control of their harems, although these confrontations are often resolved by posturing. The horses are federally protected, and the National Park Service and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses jointly manage the herd. They eat marsh grasses growing in salt water, drink fresh water from the surface, and access ground water by digging holes in the sand and waiting for water to seep in.