The
Chincoteague Pony is a hardy breed that developed on
Assateague IslandAssateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of wild horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse...
, which is off the Atlantic coast of
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. The ponies live in a
feralA feral organism is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, can disrupt ecosystems and may, in some cases, contribute to extinction of indigenous...
condition on the Virginia portion of Assateague and are owned and managed by the
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire CompanyThe Chincoteague Fire Department is a historic U.S. building located at 4026/4028 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. This building was initially constructed in 1930 and expanded in 1957...
. Excess numbers are rounded up each year by the
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire CompanyThe Chincoteague Fire Department is a historic U.S. building located at 4026/4028 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. This building was initially constructed in 1930 and expanded in 1957...
of neighboring
Chincoteague IslandChincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
during the annual
Pony PenningThe Pony Penning is an annual event held in Chincoteague, Virginia on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department conducts the event and it consists of a Wild Pony Swim on Wednesday and a pony auction on Thursday...
and auctioned off as a fundraiser. These ponies, sold to private owners, have been successfully
re-domesticatedThere are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BC, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...
and are used as riding ponies.
The Chincoteague Pony Association was established in 1994.
The
Chincoteague Pony is a hardy breed that developed on
Assateague IslandAssateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of wild horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse...
, which is off the Atlantic coast of
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. The ponies live in a
feralA feral organism is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, can disrupt ecosystems and may, in some cases, contribute to extinction of indigenous...
condition on the Virginia portion of Assateague and are owned and managed by the
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire CompanyThe Chincoteague Fire Department is a historic U.S. building located at 4026/4028 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. This building was initially constructed in 1930 and expanded in 1957...
. Excess numbers are rounded up each year by the
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire CompanyThe Chincoteague Fire Department is a historic U.S. building located at 4026/4028 Main Street, Chincoteague Island, Virginia. This building was initially constructed in 1930 and expanded in 1957...
of neighboring
Chincoteague IslandChincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
during the annual
Pony PenningThe Pony Penning is an annual event held in Chincoteague, Virginia on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department conducts the event and it consists of a Wild Pony Swim on Wednesday and a pony auction on Thursday...
and auctioned off as a fundraiser. These ponies, sold to private owners, have been successfully
re-domesticatedThere are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BC, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...
and are used as riding ponies.
The Chincoteague Pony Association was established in 1994. All ponies sold by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company are eligible for registration, as well as those bred by private breeders. There are several Chincoteague Pony breeders scattered around the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Chincoteague Pony Breeders Association was established in 2006. Several of these breeders also breed descendants of
Misty of ChincoteagueMisty of Chincoteague is a 1947 book by American author Marguerite Henry, based on the true story of a Chincoteague Pony named Misty. Set on the coastal island of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book tells the story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse...
.
Characteristics
The breed varies greatly in physical characteristics since there is no true breed standard. Chincoteagues are known for being
easy keeperAn easy keeper, easy doer or good doer is a livestock animal that can live on relatively little food. The opposite of an easy keeper is a hard keeper , an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty maintaining adequate weight.Easy keepers tend to be found most often in breeds...
s and often do not require
shoesA horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or of modern synthetic materials, nailed or glued to the hooves of horses and some other draught animals. Like a shoe on a human, it is used to protect the animal's feet from wear and tear...
. Most are between 13 and 14.2 hands high, but when raised under
domesticatedThere are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BC, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...
rather than
feralA feral organism is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, can disrupt ecosystems and may, in some cases, contribute to extinction of indigenous...
conditions, some have been known to reach 16 hands. Chincoteagues come in a variety of
colors and patternsHorses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them. Color is one of the first things that is noticed about a horse...
, with
pintoA Pinto horse has a coat color that consists of large patches of white and any other color. In nations using British English, the term used to describe this pattern is "coloured". The distinction between "pinto" and "solid" can be tenuous, as so-called "solid" horses frequently have areas of white...
being common.
History
There are two theories of how the ponies came to live on
Assateague IslandAssateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of wild horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse...
. The legend is that a
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
galleonA galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with demi-culverin type of cannon....
wrecked off of Assateague Island and the surviving ponies swam to the island. However, the more likely theory is that early 17th century colonists let their animals loose on the island to avoid the tax on fenced livestock. Whichever theory is true, the free-roaming ponies of Assateague have been living there for hundreds of years.
Pony Penning
Two separate herds of ponies live on Assateague Island, separated by a fence that runs down the Maryland-Virginia state border. The Maryland ponies are maintained by the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and are not known as Chincoteague Ponies. The
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
feral ponies are owned by Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The government allows the fire department to keep a maximum of 150 adult ponies in the
Chincoteague National Wildlife RefugeThe Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is primarily located on the Virginia side of Assateague Island with portions located on the Maryland side of the island as well as Morris Island and Wildcat Marsh...
on Assateague Island.
Since 1925, on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, Pony Penning is held on Chincoteague. The herds on Assateague are rounded up, and on Wednesday of Pony Penning week the ponies swim the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague. The ponies are held in a pen at the carnival grounds on Chincoteague until they swim back on Friday morning. On Thursday, an auction of most of the foals is held with a few kept as future breeding stock.
The proceeds of the auction are used to care for the feral ponies and finance Chincoteague’s fire department. Additional roundups are held in the spring and fall for an examination by a veterinarian, vaccinations, deworming, and hoof trimming. Along with the fall roundup is an informal sale of the foals born after Pony Penning, and the foals sold in July that were too young to be weaned are picked up by their owners.
Misty of Chincoteague
The Chincoteague Pony was made famous by
Marguerite HenryMarguerite Henry was an American writer. Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won...
’s 1947 children’s novel
Misty of ChincoteagueMisty of Chincoteague is a 1947 book by American author Marguerite Henry, based on the true story of a Chincoteague Pony named Misty. Set on the coastal island of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book tells the story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a filly born to a wild horse...
, and the subsequent sequels
Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague,
Stormy: Misty’s Foal, and
Misty’s Twilight. The real Misty of Chincoteague was born on
ChincoteagueChincoteague may refer to:Geography*Chincoteague, Virginia, a town in Accomack County, Virginia*Chincoteague Bay, a bay on the coast of Maryland and Virginia*Chincoteague Channel, a channel in Virginia connecting Chincoteague Bay and Chincoteague Inlet...
in 1946, and her descendants still serve as ambassadors of the breed.
External links