Chincoteague ponies, also known as Assateague Horses, are a small breed of equine which developed on Assateague island in Maryland and Virginia, USA. The lack of stature is due to the poor habitat of the island and an adult averages just 13.2 hands or 14.2 when domesticated. This equine species is phenotypically horse-like but are simply called ponies because of their size.
Phenotypically the breed is horse-like, but they are more commonly termed as ponies due to their sturdy but somewhat stunted physique. Evolving in isolation has brought problems of interbreeding. Coupled with the limited and poor diet available (mainly consisting of salt marsh plants and brush, this has meant that the feral breed reaches an average height of just 13.2 hands. The domesticated pony will average 14.2 hands.
Settlers began to round up the horses in 1835 to remove some to the mainland. "Pony Penning Day" came into being in 1924, when the Chincoteague Fire Company began the ritual of auctioning the animals to raise funds for the company's kit. This annual fund-raising continues virtually unchanged in modern times.
Physical characteristics such as coloring can vary greatly in the breed. Pinto patterns and solid colors are common. Variations stem from the introduction of other bloodlines such as Arabian horses as a way of tackling the conformation faults troubling the island ponies as a result of interbreeding and a poor diet comprised largely of brush and salt marsh plants.
Assateague island is owned and run by the government, but it is split in two by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland state line. A herd consisting of approximately one hundred and fifty ponies live on either side. They are managed by two separate agencies with differing management techniques. The National Park refers to the Maryland herd as Assateague horses and treats them no differently to any other island species of wild animal, other than the use of contraceptives to control numbers within Assateague Island National Seashore. Virginia's herd is owned by the volunteer Chincoteague fire department. This herd lives inside the National Wildlife Refuge and are inspected by vets twice a year to ready them to mix with other equine populations when sold at the auction.
Up to fifty thousand people make their way to the island on the very last Wednesday of July each year to witness the Pony Swim. Salt Water Cowboys round up the large Virginia herd and ride them as they swim the channel to Chincoteague. The swim lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.
The auction takes place on the Thursday following the swim. Those with the pinto patterning are the most sought after. An average pony sells for about one thousand, three hundred dollars but one auction lot raised eleven thousand, seven hundred dollars. When domesticated, these animals are renowned as willing to please, intelligent hunters, trail or driving ponies. Some one thousand ponies have left the island, having been sold at the auctions or subsequently bred.
Marguerite Henry made the Chincoteague ponies internationally famous with her book "Misty of Chincoteague". Published in 1947, this story became a film, as did several sequels. It tells the tale of a wild pony, Phantom, bought at Pony Penning Day, and her foal, Misty.
Phenotypically the breed is horse-like, but they are more commonly termed as ponies due to their sturdy but somewhat stunted physique. Evolving in isolation has brought problems of interbreeding. Coupled with the limited and poor diet available (mainly consisting of salt marsh plants and brush, this has meant that the feral breed reaches an average height of just 13.2 hands. The domesticated pony will average 14.2 hands.
Settlers began to round up the horses in 1835 to remove some to the mainland. "Pony Penning Day" came into being in 1924, when the Chincoteague Fire Company began the ritual of auctioning the animals to raise funds for the company's kit. This annual fund-raising continues virtually unchanged in modern times.
Physical characteristics such as coloring can vary greatly in the breed. Pinto patterns and solid colors are common. Variations stem from the introduction of other bloodlines such as Arabian horses as a way of tackling the conformation faults troubling the island ponies as a result of interbreeding and a poor diet comprised largely of brush and salt marsh plants.
Assateague island is owned and run by the government, but it is split in two by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland state line. A herd consisting of approximately one hundred and fifty ponies live on either side. They are managed by two separate agencies with differing management techniques. The National Park refers to the Maryland herd as Assateague horses and treats them no differently to any other island species of wild animal, other than the use of contraceptives to control numbers within Assateague Island National Seashore. Virginia's herd is owned by the volunteer Chincoteague fire department. This herd lives inside the National Wildlife Refuge and are inspected by vets twice a year to ready them to mix with other equine populations when sold at the auction.
Up to fifty thousand people make their way to the island on the very last Wednesday of July each year to witness the Pony Swim. Salt Water Cowboys round up the large Virginia herd and ride them as they swim the channel to Chincoteague. The swim lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.
The auction takes place on the Thursday following the swim. Those with the pinto patterning are the most sought after. An average pony sells for about one thousand, three hundred dollars but one auction lot raised eleven thousand, seven hundred dollars. When domesticated, these animals are renowned as willing to please, intelligent hunters, trail or driving ponies. Some one thousand ponies have left the island, having been sold at the auctions or subsequently bred.
Marguerite Henry made the Chincoteague ponies internationally famous with her book "Misty of Chincoteague". Published in 1947, this story became a film, as did several sequels. It tells the tale of a wild pony, Phantom, bought at Pony Penning Day, and her foal, Misty.
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