Chincoteague Pony

### Did you know? #1

Technically, the Chincoteague pony is not a pony, but a small, sturdy, and shaggy horse.

### Did you know? #2

The most famous Chincoteague pony was named Misty, who has a series of children's books written about her life.

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02

The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of horse that developed, and now lives, within a feral population on Assateague Island in the US states of Virginia and Maryland. The Chincoteague pony is one of the many breeds of feral horses in the United States. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague novels (written by Marguerite Henry), first published in 1947. While phenotypically horse-like, they are commonly called "ponies" due, in part, to their smaller stature, an adaptation to the poor vegetation and sparse habitat on Assateague Island. Variation is found in their physical characteristics due to blood from different breeds being introduced at various points in their history. They can be any solid color, often found in pinto patterns, which are a favorite with breed enthusiasts. Island Chincoteagues live on a diet of salt marsh plants and brush. This poor-quality (and often seasonally-scarce) food source—combined with uncontrolled inbreeding—created a propensity for conformation faults in the Chincoteague; new bloodlines began to be introduced in the early 20th century.

Several legends are told regarding the origins of the Chincoteague ponies. The most popular holds that they descend from survivors of wrecked Spanish galleons off the Virginia coast. Another theory is that they descend from stock released on the island by 17th-century colonists looking to escape livestock laws and taxes on the mainland. In 1835, the practice of pony penning began, with residents rounding up a number of ponies and relocating them to the mainland. In 1924 the first official "Pony Penning Day" was held by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, where ponies were auctioned as a way to raise money for fire equipment. Some younger ponies are kept for domesticating, such as training, riding and general taming work, with many ponies eventually becoming cherished and obedient animals. The annual event has continued in the same fashion almost uninterrupted to the present day.

Although popularly known as Chincoteague ponies, the feral ponies live on Assateague Island. The entire island is owned by the federal government and is split by a fence at the Maryland/Virginia state line, with a herd of around 150 ponies living on the Virginia side of the fence, and 80 on the Maryland side. The herds live on land managed by two different federal agencies with very different management strategies. Ponies from the Maryland herd (referred to in the literature of the National Park Service as Assateague horses) live within Assateague Island National Seashore. They are generally treated as wild animals, given no more or less assistance than any other species on the island, other contraceptive treatments to curb overpopulation. Conversely, the Virginia herd (referred to as Chincoteague ponies) lives within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Virginia ponies are treated to twice-yearly veterinary inspections, which prepare them for life among the general equine population if they are sold at auction. While only around 300 feral ponies live on Assateague Island, around 1,000 more live off-island, having been purchased or bred by private breeders.

The Chincoteague Pony was added to the Code of Virginia § 1-510 (Official emblems and designations) as the designated pony of Virginia by the General Assembly of the Commonweath of Virginia in February 2023.

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