Horsing Around with the Chincoteague Ponies

When I was seven years old, we got a pony named Suzanne. I still recall how her sandy colored mane was cut so short that it stuck straight up. My memories of trotting around on Suzanne still bring a smile to my face. And I know I was lucky. After all, how many people can actually say they had a pony when they were growing up?

My parents continued to nurture this equine interest as I matured. They invested in riding lessons, and soon my sisters and I graduated to full-sized horses. Even as an adult I continued to ride, though not nearly with the same frequency.

So with all these treasured memories in tow, you can bet I jumped at the recent opportunity to visit Assateague Island National Seashore. Why? Because it’s the home of the wild Chincoteague ponies.

Riding with Finn when he was just two years old.

What are the Chincoteague ponies?

The Chincoteague ponies are a breed of wild ponies living off the coast of the mid-Atlantic on an island. No one knows exactly how this pony herd originally got to the island, but it’s estimated they’ve been there for more than 400 years.

One version of their origin story claims that farmers in Virginia released the ponies there rather than erecting fences on their land and paying taxes on them. Another account purports the ponies swam ashore from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon that crashed of the coast of the mid-Atlantic in the 1750s.

What do the ponies look like?

The ponies are stocky with short legs, round bellies, and thick manes. They tend to look heavier than most ponies because they mostly graze on cordgrass. This marine grass is very salty, so the ponies drink twice as much water as normal horses and their bellies appear bloated. The ponies can be one color or multi-colored, and stand 12-13 hands tall. They also congregate in small groups, which are referred to as bands.

Chincoteague ponies grazing in the wild

Where do the Chincoteague ponies live?

Although the breed is named the Chincoteague pony, they actually reside year-round on Assateague Island, not nearby Chincoteague Island.

Assateague Island is a 37-mile long barrier island off the Atlantic coast that crosses state lines. The northern half of the island is off the Maryland coast, while the southern half belongs to Virginia.

Chincoteague Island, on the other hand, is a much smaller island. It sits between Virginia’s mainland and the southern end of Assateague Island, so it is completely within the state of Virginia.

Where on Assateague Island can I find the wild ponies?

You can see the ponies on both the Maryland and Virginia parts of Assateague Island. There is a fence in the middle of the island separating two herds of wild Chinoteague ponies.

The herd on the northern (Maryland) side is managed by the National Park Service, and is often referred to as the Assateague herd.

The herd on the southern (Virginia) side is owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co., and is often referred to as the Chincoteague herd. When most people think of these ponies, they are thinking of the Chincoteague herd.

How big is the Chincoteague herd?

The Chincoteague herd is limited to 150 adult ponies. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co. secured a grazing permit that lets their ponies live on Assateague Island within the boundaries of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. So, they can roam on the southern part of the island, but each year the herd has to be thinned down as the mares continue to have foals.

Ponies crossing the road on Assateague Island

How do they control the size of the herd?

To keep the herd at 150 adult ponies, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co. holds an annual pony auction to sell off many of their young foals. They hold this auction on Chincoteague Island the last Thursday of July.

How do the ponies get to Chincoteague Island for the pony auction?

Getting the herd from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island requires swimming the herd across the Assateague Channel between the two islands during low tide. Thousands of tourists come to the two islands to watch the horses cross the channel in this annual pony swim.

The members of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co., affectionately referred to as “Saltwater Cowboys,” herd the ponies across the channel. The first foal to make it across the channel earns the title of King or Queen of Neptune at the Volunteer Firemen’s Carnival and gets raffled off.

Where does the money from the Chincoteague pony auction go?

The pony auction was originally created to raise money to help modernize the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co.’s equipment and facilities.

Some of the proceeds are also used to help provide veterinary care to the herd through the year. The herd is rounded up and given twice yearly vet visits to prepare them for life with the general equine population.

Chincoteague ponies…they may not be as efficient as a roadside mowing crew, but they sure are prettier.

How much do the ponies cost at auction?

It depends on the pony. In 2015, the average auction price was $2,780. The highest bid on a pony that year went up to $25,000 (a new auction record), while the lowest went for $500.

How do you know the pony was born on Assateague Island and not from a horse breeder?

Auction winners get a certificate from the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Co. proving the foal’s origin. This proves the pony was born in the wild and is not a pony from domesticated equine breeding.

Do they auction all the foals in the herd each year?

No. A handful of the foals are designated as “buyback” ponies. The winning bidder of each buyback pony gets the honor of naming it. Then the pony returns to Assateague island to live out its life in the wild.

Pony on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Are the ponies from the Assateague herd auctioned off too?

No. The northern herd lives on the portion of the island that falls within the Assateague Island National Seashore. Thus, the National Park Service (NPS) manages the ponies, and treats them like all the other wild animals and birds living in the park. The Assateague herd lives truly independently and gets no additional food or assistance to survive. However, the NPS uses contraceptives to prevent pony overpopulation.

How can I see the Chincoteague ponies?

Visitors coming from Virginia can visit the the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on southern part of the island. You can take a bridge from Virginia to Chincoteague Island, and then another bridge from there to Assateague Island. The wildlife refuge has hiking and biking paths, as well as a road accessible by car. The ponies from the Chincoteague herd are kept off the road by fences and are often seen grazing from a distance.

Visitors coming from Maryland can visit the Assateague Island National Seashore on the northern part of the island. There is a bridge from Maryland directly to Assateague Island. The National park has hiking and biking paths too, as well as a road accessible by car. The Assateague herd moves around more freely on the north side of the island. So you often see bands of ponies crossing the road or grazing beside it, just like you might see bison if you were visiting Yellowstone National Park. There are numerous signs from the National Park Service warning visitors not to entice the ponies or get within certain distances of them, as they are wild animals that may kick or bite.