What is that bobbing in the water? It’s a herd of wild ponies!
Thousands of pony fans gathered the last week of July in Chincoteague, Virginia. They witnessed the 100th annual swim of wild ponies across the Assateague Channel.
The Chincoteague Fire Department hosts the event. While other fire departments raise money by offering BBQ dinners or raffles, Chincoteague’s biggest annual fundraiser is a pony auction!
Firefighter volunteers have the privilege of being good stewards over God’s creation. The region’s wild ponies live on nearby Assateague Island most of the year. Some of the foals are sold to the highest bidders. That controls the size of the herd. A healthy population size is vital for the ponies’ flourishing. Too many ponies on Assateague Island would cause a food shortage.
“Saltwater Cowboys” on horseback round up the ponies on the last Wednesday in July. They wait until slack tide, when the currents are weak, to guide the creatures across the channel. That’s typically between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Young ponies born in the spring or early summer are safe from strong currents in that timeframe.
The ponies stay in pens until the foal auction. That takes place at the volunteer fire department’s carnival grounds on Thursday.
The return swim to Assateague occurs on Friday. (Locals say that day is less crowded and can afford great opportunities for viewing and taking photos.)
The tradition began in 1925. Interest in the pony swim grew, and visitors began coming from across the country for the occasion. Author Marguerite Henry made the event famous with her classic and award-winning children’s novel Misty of Chincoteague.
This year, Foal No. 36 was the champion of the short channel swim on Wednesday and was crowned “King Neptune.” According to the Chincoteague Fire Department, that’s the title given each year to the first yearling to complete the swim.
Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength. — Job 39:19-21
Recommended Reading: For more about Assateague’s wild ponies, read Out of the Sea: Today’s Chincoteague Pony by Lois Szymanski.
