Chincoteague Pony
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| Chincoteague Pony | ||
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 Chincoteague pony |
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| Country of origin: | United States | |
The Chincoteague Pony is a hardy breed that developed on Assateague Island, which is off the Atlantic coast of Maryland and Virginia. The ponies live in a feral condition on the Virginia portion of Assateague and are owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.[1] Excess numbers are rounded up each year by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company of neighboring Chincoteague Island during the annual Pony Penning and auctioned off as a fundraiser. These ponies, sold to private owners, have been successfully re-domesticated 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 States, the Chincoteague Pony Breeders Association was established in 2006. Several of these breeders also breed descendants of Misty of Chincoteague.
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[edit] Characteristics
The breed varies greatly in physical characteristics since there is no true breed standard. Chincoteagues are known for being easy keepers and often do not require shoes. Most are between 13 and 14.2 hands high, but when raised under domesticated rather than feral conditions, some have been known to reach 16 hands. Chincoteagues come in a variety of colors and patterns, with pinto being common.
[edit] History
There are two theories of how the ponies came to live on Assateague Island. The legend is that a Spanish galleon 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.
[edit] 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 Service and are not known as Chincoteague Ponies. The Virginia 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 Refuge on Assateague Island.[2]
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[citation needed], and the foals sold in July that were too young to be weaned are picked up by their owners.
[edit] Misty of Chincoteague
The Chincoteague Pony was made famous by Marguerite Henry’s 1947 children’s novel Misty of Chincoteague, 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 Chincoteague in 1946, and her descendants still serve as ambassadors of the breed.[3]
[edit] The Feather Fund
The Feather Fund is a non-profit organization based in Maryland that purchases Chincoteague ponies for children. It began back in 2004, to carry on the work of Carolynn Suplee, who was known as the "pony fairy." Each year Feather Fund volunteers attend the Pony Penning with the recipients to purchase the ponies, who then travel to the recipient's home states. The number of recipients varies from year to year, but there is always more than one. The Feather Fund works closely with the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and other non-profits to raise money toward purchasing the ponies.
[edit] Uses
Chincoteagues have excelled in the show ring in a variety of disciplines.
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. National Park Service. "Assateague's Wild Horses", Assateague Island brochure, 2009-01-15. Accessed 2009-03-01.
- ^ The Ponies of Chincoteague and Pony Penning, Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, retrieved December 19, 2008.
- ^ Misty's Heaven
[edit] External links
- Goode, Kristin Ingwell "Chincoteague Ponies" from The Horse, online edition, October 10, 2001
- National Chincoteague Pony Association
- Chincoteague Pony Association
- Chincoteague Pony Breeders Association
- The Colorful Chincoteague
- Misty's Heaven
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