Vieques, Where the Horses Roam Free


Before we visited Vieques, a small island east of Puerto Rico that is part of the island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands, we knew very little of the island except that it had been used in the past for naval exercises.  As we read more about Vieques, we learned that although there is a population of around 9,350, it has no stoplights and there were herds of wild horses roaming the island.  Cool, we thought. But, as excited as we were to spot some of these horses during our visit, we eventually learned we were only half right about them…

Horses in Vieques - copyright Rum Therapy
 As we roamed the charming island on our way-too-short day visit, we were not disappointed in our wild horse sightings! Horses were lazily grazing along the road to the Vieques National Wildlife refuge.

Horsesin Vieques - copyright Rum Therapy
Horses walked right by us as we hiked to the black sand beach.

Horses in Vieques - copyright Rum Therapy

And there were lots of horses in the area around Sun Bay (find Sun Bay on our Puerto Rico Map). These two were enjoying a stroll on the pretty beach.

Horses in Vieques - copyright Rum Therapy

So what were we only half right about? Apparently, although the horses on Vieques roam freely, most of them actually do have owners. Hmmm…there’s definitely got to be a benefit to the owners in savings on feed (and not having to pick up horse doo), but there is certainly a benefit to residents and visitors alike who love to see the beautiful horses roaming freely on this beautiful island.

Horses in Vieques - copyright Rum Therapy
Have you seen the horses on Vieques? Tell us about it!

You might also be interested in:

A Day Trip to Vieques

A Day Trip to Culebra


To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

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