Wild Ponies Make Annual Swim From Maryland to Virginia

Wednesday, 25 July, 2007

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. —

Wild ponies made their yearly swim to Chincoteague from Assateague Island, Maryland, today in front of tens of thousands of onlookers.

The ponies started the swim shortly after noon today. It was one of the latest swim times in years. The ponies make the swim at slack tide — the time between the tide change when the water is perfectly still.

They crossed a 200-yard channel to Chincoteague, where they will then be auctioned starting tomorrow to raise money for the volunteer fire department, which cares for the ponies.

Ponies that are not sold and those that are donated back to the fire department will roam free for another year on the national wildlife refuge on Assateague.

The pony swim was made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague."

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Assateague Island is a barrier island, comprising the southern portion of Maryland's Atlantic coast and part of Virginia's Eastern Shore. It is known for its herds of feral ponies, which are descendant of 17th-century horses and called Assateague Ponies, and for the Assateague Lighthouse. It is accessible by car via bridges along Maryland State Highway 611 and from Chincoteague, Virginia; however, there are few roads on the island. Off-road vehicles with permits are allowed in certain areas.

There are four bay side and two beach side backcountry sites available for camping. There are also several primitive campsites which are run by the National Park Service, as well as the State of Maryland. Kayak touring is a popular way to see the wildlife, especially on the calmer bay side. The best time to backcountry camp is in the spring and the fall. Summer months are known for heavy mosquito populations, particularly on the bay side.

The feral ponies have adapted to life on the island. To keep their numbers under control, a federal contraceptive program has been in place since 1994. Despite signs warning visitors not to feed the ponies, some people still do which can result in serious injuries as the animals can be quite aggressive. Large populations of birds also inhabit the island, including American Oystercatcher, Great Blue Heron, and Snowy Egret.

Most of the island is within the Assateague Island National Seashore. Assateague State Park comprises almost 800 acres and lies within the National Seashore. The state park is the most developed area on the island with 350 campsites... some with electric hookups. The Virginia side of the island is within Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the water around the island is within the boundaries of the national seashore. The island has a land area of 63.21 km² (24.4 sq mi) and has a permanent population of 7 persons, according to the 2000 census. All of the population lived in the Virginia portion.

The island's ponies are often referred to as wild ponies. In fact, the term "wild" is incorrect; horses were extinct in the Americas before being reintroduced by Europeans. The correct term is feral, as the ponies are descendants of domesticated horses that adapted to life in the wild.