By Adrienne Wolfe

Chincoteague Pony Swim. Photo courtesy Emily Calle.

With yips and yells the Saltwater Cowboys drive the milling, nervous herd of Chincoteague Ponies into the water. The ponies now must swim across the sea channel from their home on Assateague Island to neighboring Chincoteague Island. Sounds like a romantic western story? This is the start of the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim and Auction, and it’s been happening for 81 years off the Virginia coast.

During the last week of July the tiny island of Chincoteague is inundated with 40,000 spectators for the event. On Tuesday the cowboys round up all the herds of wild ponies from the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and place them into holding pens on Assateague Island. Potential new pony owners come and look at the ponies and start eying the foals that they will bid on in the upcoming auction. Wednesday the ponies are driven into the channel and make the 5 to 10 minute swim to Chincoteague Island. There is a ferry for the Saltwater Cowboys and for any foal that is too young or weak to make the swim. After a one hour’s rest they are paraded through the town to holding pens at the fairground. As you can image it is very chaotic – mares are searching for their foals, stallions are fighting with each other and trying to reclaim their harems. Thursday the foals are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  Foals that are too young to leave their dam will be sold in the fall.

Pony parade down main street. Photo courtesy Emily Calle.

The entire week long affair is a fund raiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  In the early 1920's, the town of Chincoteague was devastated by a fire because they had no fire department.  Determined not to let history repeat itself, the Fire Company obtained the rights to the ponies and started the annual event as their major fund raiser. Proceeds from the auction are used to fund the all-volunteer Fire Company and to take care of the herd.

Ponies are wormed, vaccinated and have their hooves trimmed twice a year.  Thanks in large part to the registry that the Fire Company started (the Chincoteague Pony Association), the ponies are now seen as a legitimate breed. Their prices have climbed steadily over the years. The highest priced foal ever sold at the annual auction went for $10,500.  Each year the more desirable foals sell for $5,000 and up.

Sugar Pixie at Rolling Bay Farm shows off her "Misty" coloring. Photo courtesy Adrienne Wolfe.

In the 1940's, the popularity of these ponies was forever cemented in American culture with the release of the popular children’s novel Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Today people still seek out foals with the famous Misty coloring of a palomino pinto.

Chincoteague Ponies come in any color with pintos being a strong and colorful force.  These ponies are renowned for their beauty, intelligence, hardiness and love for people. Since their breeding has been left to natural selection, there is no true breed standard. The harsher conditions and poorer quality food has bred the horses down to large pony size; most are between 13 and 14 HH.

Most resemble Welsh- or Arabian-type ponies. The head is expressive, with broad forehead; large, soft eyes, straight or slightly dished short face; firm muzzle; small, wide-set, tipped-in ears; tapered muzzle, large nostrils and rounded jowls. The body is clean with a moderately refined throat latch and neck; well-angulated shoulder; broad chest and loins; short back; deep flanks; well-sprung ribs; round croup; straight, sound legs with dense bone and an appearance of overall hardiness; round, hard hooves; heavy, long mane and tail. Some may have light feathering on their legs. Since it has always been survival of the fittest on the island these ponies are exceptionally strong and hardy.

"Boomer" from 1000 Welcomes Farm. Photo courtesy Burta Boysen.

Chincoteagues have been sought after for their willingness to work and their natural affinity to people. They have done well consistently in 4-H, dressage, Pony Club and in open shows across the country.

Most of their owners’ focus and successes have been in hunter and Pony Club venues. With new-found interest in dressage and sport ponies, some enthusiasts and breeders looking for an edge are noticing Chincoteagues. These ponies naturally have very large forward movement and are tractable and easy to train. Most of the attention to this point has been on the Chincoteague stallions. Many Chincoteague breeders are paying particular attention to keeping the highly valued qualities of these ponies while breeding stallions that are commercially viable in today’s new market. An exciting opportunity for a breed that is only a few thousand strong in North America!

Chincoteague pony stallion B.G.'s Black Gold, at National Chincoteague Pony Association. Photo courtesy Gale Frederick Park.

West Wind Training Stables in California has taken their Chincoteague Ponies to the Horse of the Year show for their chapter of the California Dressage Society. Another Chincoteague took high point award for the Nevada State Fair’s 4-H. The 2006 show season has a Chincoteague Pony Champion for two-year-old colts and gelding with the Pennsylvania Horse Shows Association. Chincoteagues also make it to Nationals for Pony Club.

So, where can you find a Chincoteague Pony? The breed is still relatively rare; only about 200 purebred foals are born each year. There are less then twenty breeders scattered across the country who raise purebred Chincoteagues. They are all small family farms that may produce from one to six foals a year. Owning one of these ponies is definitely a unique and rewarding experience.

More Information

The National Chincoteague Pony Association is located in Bellingham, WA and is a private, non-profit registry and small breeding farm www.pony-chincoteague.org.

The Chincoteague Pony Association is an all-volunteer organization and registry in Chincoteague, VA www.chincoteaguechamber.com/map-assn.html.

The newly formed Chincoteague Pony Breeders Association is focused on preserving the breed and educating horse enthusiasts about this outstanding pony. You can visit them at:  www.chincoteagueponyba.org.

For those of you who might want to re-find your “inner Misty” there is a fun website that chronicles all of Misty’s offspring and relatives as well as a history of the real live Misty at: http://mistysheaven.hostingrapid.com.