A driver hit and killed a wild horse at Assateague Island National Seashore on Saturday, according to park officials.

The horse, known as Gizmo, was a 16-year-old Bay female. This is the first time since 2022 that a horse was struck and killed by a driver.

A driver hit the horse on Bayberry Drive, between Old Ferry Road and Bayside Drive, in the developed area of the park, Superintendent Hugh Hawthorne said in an email.

National Park Service law enforcement is investigating the crash, Hawthorne said.

The speed limit on Assateague Island is never more than 25 mph, officials said, and is often lower. Wildlife — including horses — is difficult to spot at night.

A 16-year-old female would be considered upper middle-aged for the population, Hawthorn said. Some females reach their early 30s before dying of natural causes, while males have “considerably shorter” lifespans.

Thousands of people gathered late last week to watch the 100th annual swim of wild Chincoteague ponies across the Assateague Channel.

The swim event includes an auction of some of the wild horses to raise money for the local volunteer fire department and to maintain the size of the herd of ponies, which live most of the year on Assateague Island.

Federal funding cuts and hiring freezes from the Trump administration have left the Maryland side of Assateague Island National Seashore without lifeguards this summer.

An 18-year-old from Virginia drowned at Assateague toward the end of July. He was swimming in a non-lifeguarded zone.

The Virginia side of the national seashore, and the Maryland State Park section of Assateague Island, do have lifeguards on duty.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.