Swimming the Ponies at Chincoteague
By mosquito
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7th Mar 2010 •
6,147 views
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7 comments
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How would you like to go on a vacation where you could lie on the beach, play in the surf, and come home with a pony? If you take a summer holiday to Chincoteague Island, you can. Chincoteague itself is a popular vacation island, and has plenty of hotels and restaurants, but most people come for the more rugged camping on neighboring Assateague Island, and of course the wild pony herds there.
You can camp and play on Assateague, but you need to get a boat there. Once you’re there, you’re on your own – there’s not much there but the ponies, so as long as you bring your lunch, your towel, and your sunscreen, you’ll be just fine. There are several campsites on Assateague, and plenty of boat trips back and forth to Chincoteague, so it’s a comfortable place to camp – if you remember to bring insect repellent too!
There are two pony herds on Assateague, separated by a fence. The northern, or Maryland herd, is left to roam wild. The southern, Virginia herd is the one most people come to see, and although the herds don’t mix, and they live on Assateague, they are all called Chincoteague ponies. Because they are trapped on the island, both herds are monitored carefully, and managed to protect their heritage and type.
The ponies are hardy, with thick manes and tails, and come in just about every color, including paints. They are comfortable around people, and have a reputation for being docile and easy to train. They are usually around 12 to 13.2 hands, very handsome, and very athletic so they make very popular children’s ponies for show and pleasure. Oddly though, the lack of nutrients in the grasses of their diet seems to be what keeps them small foals raised off the island with protein-rich diets can grow as much as a hand taller.
The often look chubby on the island too – but we now know that because of the high amounts of salt they ingest on the grasses makes them drink nearly twice as much water as a horse in normal conditions – and that gives them a round tummy. As soon as they eat a salt-free diet, the tubby tummies disappear!
How did these wild ponies end up on Assateague Island? Legend has it that back in the 1500s a Spanish Galleon was shipwrecked near the island in a storm. The ponies are believed to be descendants of the small Spanish horses that somehow survived the wreck and swam to the island, to start the herds. It’s a great story, but today we know that these ponies are actually descendants of livestock of early settlers, who used the island as a natural ‘fence’ to keep horses, as well as other stock.
So how do you get one? Well, first you get to watch the famous ‘pony penning’ event in July. Each year, the firemen of Chincoteague – who actually own the Virginia herd – and several volunteers swim their horses across the shallow narrows between the islands, round up the herd, and swim the whole herd back across. The event is in late July, but has to be timed carefully to match the low tides, because there will be many young foals swimming too. The riders swim back close to the herd, so they can pick up any foals that get tired and let them piggy back on their own horses to the shore.
And that’s just part of the penning party. An annual summer celebration since at least the mid 1800s, the penning is celebrated by barbeques, parades, and all kinds of other festivities. But what most people come for is the auction. Once the ponies have crossed the narrows, traveled through the town, and had a chance to rest and dry off in the pens, the selection begins. The ponies and foals are all checked over, identified, and new foals recorded. The penners then make a selection of which ponies to return to Assateague, and which to sell. To maintain the delicate ecosystem on Assateague, which is also home to many species of sea birds, each herd isn’t allowed to exceed 150 ponies – the auction helps to keep the numbers down, and raise money to protect the ponies’ habitat.
The proceeds from the auction go to support the Chincoteague volunteer fire service, who in turn take care of the herd the rest of the year. And the proceeds are good. Ever since 1947, when Marguerite Henry wrote about the penning in her famous story ‘Misty of Chincoteague’, followed by sequels, movies, and a Breyer model, people have been coming in the thousands to watch the swim and the auction. Many of the ponies on Assateague are actual descendants of Misty herself!
All the ponies are well cared for year round, and the comfort and welfare of all the ponies is very important. Buyers can only take home weanlings and older ponies – some may buy younger foals but they’ll have to come back the next year to pick them up if they are too young to leave their mothers!
Some ponies go on to do some good deeds too. The Feather Fund is a charity that buys some ponies each year to go to special homes. The Feather Fund buys ponies to help deserving children in need to learn about training and caring for ponies, and to learn responsibility and maturity. If you want one yourself, you’ll have to bring proof you can care for your pony, your own trailer to take it home, and a bit of cash. The ponies are popular –for good reason – and you can expect to pay from $1500 to over $5000 for a good pony. But it’s a great investment – you’ll get an intelligent, hardy and unique pony, and a great friend.
Want to know more? Check out www.pony-chincoteague.com, and
http://www.featherfund.org |
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Quarter7
wow this was very interesting, I didn't know most of it!
wow this was very interesting, I didn't know most of it!
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25 days ago
• 4,995 views
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Ebony Acres
Wow, I didn't even know about the real round-up. I've read Misty, but I thought t was just fiction. LOL.
Wow, I didn't even know about the real round-up. I've read Misty, but I thought t was just fiction. LOL.
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25 days ago
• 4,927 views
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R A C E R
I 've been to Chincoteague!!! Thanks for doing and article about it so that everyone knows!
I 've been to Chincoteague!!! Thanks for doing and article about it so that everyone knows!
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25 days ago
• 5,028 views
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Jackie
I have always wanted to go to Chincoteague for this festival...I have seen the Mist of Chincoteague movie and have read all of the books, and I just think that It would be interesting to see it for real. :)
I have always wanted to go to Chincoteague for this festival...I have seen the Mist of Chincoteague movie and have read all of the books, and I just think that It would be interesting to see it for real. :)
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25 days ago
• 4,966 views
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Shayde Elites
I've been there, but I didn't like the idea of playing or camping on Assateague becuase its the ponies' island, and not ours and a while ago there was a law set that you weren't allowed to live or stay on the island unless you were apart of the Pony Swim. They should have kept that law. I hate people inturupting the ponie's peace, its not right. But thats just my opinion.
I've been there, but I didn't like the idea of playing or camping on Assateague becuase its the ponies' island, and not ours and a while ago there was a law set that you weren't allowed to live or stay on the island unless you were apart of the Pony Swim. They should have kept that law. I hate people inturupting the ponie's peace, its not right. But thats just my opinion.
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25 days ago
• 4,947 views
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halfbrokehorses
oh wow, i want one!! you always come up wtih great stories skenesson, where do you get all the info??
oh wow, i want one!! you always come up wtih great stories skenesson, where do you get all the info??
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25 days ago
• 4,918 views
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mosquito
Thanks! I pretty much write on what I know and love, but if there's something anyone wants me to research and write about, please just message me and I'll see what I can do!
Thanks! I pretty much write on what I know and love, but if there's something anyone wants me to research and write about, please just message me and I'll see what I can do!
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24 days ago
• 5,000 views
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