This afternoon is this beginning of the annual Spring Round-Up on Assateague in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Riptide and his band are already in the corral, so only the Don Leonard Stud II and his mares need to be brought in. Tomorrow, the Saltwater Cowboys will be rounding up all of the northern herds, which can be a drawn out process - lots of area to cover and lots of places for the ponies to hide. Vet checks, worming, and vaccinations will take place tomorrow for all ponies. And tomorrow, the 2018 buy back yearlings and the donated mares should be turned loose on Assateague, too. It'll be a full day for the Cowboys, the veterinarians, and for photographers, too. Today the weather forecast is gorgeous. Tomorrow, the forecast says 60% chance of rain - but the Round-Up will occur no matter what the weather does.
Yesterday morning, people visiting Riptide and his ladies were able to witness the birth of a foal. Sonny's Legacy, a six-year-old chestnut pinto mare, sired by the Don Leonard Stud and out of the mare Shy Anne (aka Half 'n' Half), had her third foal. The Dad is Surfer's Riptide, and he was watching, as were all of the mares. The baby is a chestnut pinto colt, and has War Bonnet markings. Soon after the birth, the mare and new foal were moved into a smaller paddock; later, both were trailered over to the Carnival Grounds, where they are being watched, as it seemed the foal was not nursing as much as is normal for a newborn. Currently, all reports say both mom and baby are doing well.
These photos were taken by Steve Cole of DSC Photography; they are copyrighted by DSC Photography. If you wish to look at, or purchase, any of their photographs, please visit their website at: http://www.dscphotography.net
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