Nearly $100,000 Raised at Pony Auction

I hope to have many more photos from the Pony Auction when I blog tomorrow - This morning, 69 foals were auctioned at the Chincoteague Firemen's Carnival Grounds.  Sixty of the foals are going to leave for new homes with caring and loving families; nine of the foals were designated as "buy backs."  A buy back foal  is put up for auction with the announcement that due to it's markings, or bloodlines, or confirmation, the CVFC wants to keep the pony in the herd as a breeder.  A person can "purchase" the pony during the following bidding session; but that person cannot take the foal home.  It goes back to it's dam and continues living it's life on Assateague.  The buyer has the right to name the foal for the Chincoteague Pony Association registry, and can have their photo taken with the foal.  They can visit and see "their" pony running wild on Assateague for the rest of it's life.  But one cannot remove the buy back foal from the herds or take  it home.  It's essentially a giant donation to the CVFC - but it's a super way to be able to give: then you can go to Assateague and say, "See that pony?  I bought it from the Fire Company, but I gave it back!"  ....  In any event, the lowest bid on a foal this year was $450; the highest bid (which was for a buy back) was $6,700.  WBOC TV states that the CVFC raised nearly $100,000 through today's auction.  I have one photo from the auction at the moment - it's a buy back foal that sold for over $4,000.

If I'm not mistaken, it's the little guy that I have a photo of during the walk down the beach to Tom's Cove.  I believe that the photo is of the foal with the very Arab-type head.