National Park Service has been keeping the native ponies on Ocracoke Island since the 1960s. It is believed that these ponies arrived and left by the ships. These ships required to lower their load thus they left the ponies on the Island. These ponies are known as Ocracoke ponies and also called as Banker ponies. These ponies share a link to old Spanish horses genetically. The unique characteristics of the ponies include one fewer lumbar vertebrae, greater bone density, short necks, wide foreheads, and one fewer rib.
