The annual Pony Penning on Assateague and Chincoteague Islands in Virginia will happen during the week of July 20th through the 27th this year. The Chincoteague Firemen's Carnival will be open every night except Sunday; and will be open on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. On Saturday, the 20th of July, the Saltwater Cowboys of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (who is the owner of the ponies on Assateague Island in Virginia) will round up the herds located in the southern compartment of the island and take them to the main holding corrals along Beach Road.
On Sunday, the Cowboys will round up the herds in the northern compartment, and deliver them to the north holding corral, about 2 miles north of the Wildlife Drive Loop, on the service road. Monday morning, at dawn, the ponies will be herded across the island to the Atlantic ocean beach, and walked down the beach, next to the surf, to the main parking lot and on down the Beach Road to the southern holding corrals. On Tuesday, all of the ponies will be checked by the veterinarians. Foals will have blood drawn for their Coggins tests so they can be transported out of state. Any pony deemed too old, too pregnant, too young, too ill, or with any other mitigating problem, will be taken by trailer to the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague. (Unci, an older mare with congenital lordosis - causing a swayback - is routinely trailered over.)
Wednesday morning, at slack tide, the ponies deemed fit by the veterinarians will swim the Assateague Channel between the two islands. The crossing is about 1/8 of a mile, and the tide will not be running in either direction. The swim usually takes less than 3 minutes, and the ponies are closely monitored by the US Coast Guard, the veterinarians, and members of the CVFC. After resting from the swim, the ponies are herded along Beebe Road and then north on Main Street to the Carnival Grounds, where pasture, hay and water troughs await them.
On Thursday morning, at 8 o'clock, the auction of the foals born up until that moment, are sold to the highest bidder. Most will be leaving the island for the rest of their lives. A few will be designated as "Buy Back" foals; these foals will not leave the two islands. A person or group may bid on and purchase a Buy Back baby; they will have the right to name the foal and have their photo taken with it - but the foal will live out it's life on Assateague (with 3 days on Chincoteague each year) and all of that pony's progeny will belong to the CVFC for selling in future years. (I purchased a pony in 2015; she had her first foal this year and the filly will be sold on Thursday, 25 July.) If the foal is too young to be taken from it's mother, the new owner must return for the Fall Round-Up and pick up that foal. Any foals born after Pony Penning are usually sold at the Fall Round-Up; this past year the foals were sold by a silent auction mail-in bidding system.
On Friday morning, or early afternoon, again at slack tide, the southern herds are taken back to the Channel to swim back to Assateague. Originally all the ponies of both the north and south compartments would make the return swim. Since the CVFC, the National Park Service and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge do not want any pony fatalities caused by crossing Beach Road, the northern herds are now trailered back to the northern end of Assateague (in Virginia) and released.
***** We have had fifty-four foals born so far, with only one fatality. Kimball's Rainbow Delight was seen with a foal at her side on 19 May. They were seen from a distance, and a photo was taken. To me, the foal looked to be chestnut, but a few other people think it was palomino. The foal hasn't been seen since that day, and Rainbow Delight was at the third equine pythiosis (aka "Swamp Cancer") vaccination without a baby. So we seem to have lost it to unknown causes.
Of the 53 foals living, there are 23 fillies and 30 colts. There are 10 bay babies, 3 buckskin babies, 5 chestnut babies, 3 palomino babies, and there are 5 babies that other folks believe will be black. I think there are definitely 2 black babies - but I'm not sure how the other 3 will shed out, once they lose their baby fur. They might be black, a dark bay or brown, or possibly a dark, smoky buckskin... only time will prove the real coloration. There are also multiple pinto babies - 1 buckskin pinto, 1 black pinto, 5 palomino pintos (one of them a perlino/cream with blue eyes), 9 chestnut pintos and 12 bay pintos. DSC Photography has classified one of the bay pintos as a chestnut pinto, but the end of the foals' tail is black, not chestnut, so it is technically a bay.)
How many more babies will be born before Pony Penning? How many during and after? Again, we can only wait and see...
Showing posts with label Assateague Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assateague Island. Show all posts
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Misty of Chincoteague - and Why I Love the Island So Very Much
I have always been "horse crazy" and so was my Mother up into her 30s. Luckily she recognized my life-long obsession at an early age, and encouraged it as much as possible. Mom was born and raised on Chincoteague Island. The maternal side of her family traces back to some of the earliest settlers on Chincoteague and Assategue Islands, while her great-grandfather was a Danish immigrant who married into the Whealton family, and her father was a Swede who married into the Peterson and Tarr families. Most people on Chincoteague are related through generations of cousins inter-marrying, and my maternal side is the usual Teaguer mish-mash of intertwined relatives. (My Dad was an Oklahoma/Kansas farm boy who joined the Navy and was stationed at NAS Chincoteague.)
The book Misty of Chincoteague made the island famous. The "quaint" tradition of the pony round-up and selling of the youngsters had been written up in newspapers and magazines since the 1870s - and there are several old movie-theater newsreels covering Pony Penning prior to the book being published. Marguerite Henry visited the island of Chincoteague in 1946 during the annual Pony Penning festivities. When she made it known she was writing a book about the ponies, she was introduced to one of the private pony breeders on Chincoteague - Clarence Beebe. She visited the Beebe Ranch on the southeast tip of Chincoteague frequently during her stay at Miss Molly's Inn on Main Street. At the Beebe Ranch, she met Clarence's wife, Ida Whealton Beebe, and their two grandchildren, Paul and Maureen, whom the grandparents were raising.
While on the island, Maureen's favorite riding pony, Phantom, gave birth (on 20 July 1946) to a palomino pinto filly, sired by Clarence Beebe's chestnut pinto stallion, the Pied Piper. Marguerite Henry fell in love with the foal - and purchased her for $150 - with the promise of Clarence to ship her to Fort Wayne, Indiana when she was weaned. Ms Henry also promised to use the real names of the Beebe family in her book, and each of those four Beebes were paid $100 each for the use of their names. (Other than the fame from the books, this is the only monetary recompense that any of the Beebes ever received.)
Ms Henry worked away valiantly on her book, Misty of Chincoteague, and it was published by Rand McNally in 1947. In 1948, it won the coveted Newbery Award from the American Library Association. It is a fictional account of two siblings being raised by their grandparents on Chincoteague Island, and their desire for a pony of their very own. How the two children work hard and save up enough money to purchase the wild pony they see, followed by heartbreak, and ending with an up-lifting gesture of freedom has won hearts around the world. Misty became a celebrity, and Ms Henry took her to library conventions throughout the United States. She was taught to step onto a stool and shake "hands" with people wanting to meet her. She was also a useful riding pony, being ridden in English gear with a double-reined Pelham bridle.
The next book that Marguerite wrote about Chincoteague was titled Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague (published in 1949), after a visit to the island in 1948, where she witnessed the death of an orphaned foal.
In 1958, Ms Henry sent Misty back to Chincoteague to become a mother. Mares can be particular, and Misty was no exception - she fought off the advances of several stallions, and finally accepted the love of Wings in 1959. She had three foals with Wings in three successive years - Phantom Wings arrived in 1960; Wisp O'Mist in 1961; and Stormy in 1962. Phantom Wings was a palomino pinto like his dam; he produced only one known foal, a son named Sandpiper. The fates of both ponies are unknown. Wisp O'Mist was a solid chestnut mare, who also had only one foal, a solid palomino son named Cloudy, who was gelded. Misty's third foal was Stormy, born after the disastrous Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. All of the ponies labeled "Misty family" ponies today are descendants of Stormy, a chestnut pinto mare with a small crescent moon on her forehead.
The Ash Wednesday Storm killed a majority of the ponies running wild on Assateague. Ms Henry immediately sat down at her typewriter and began writing Stormy, Misty's Foal, which was published in 1963. And children around the world started saving money and sending it for the replenishment of the herds on Chincoteague. A lot of people who had purchased ponies from the island previously gave them back so there would be wild ponies on the island once again.
In 1960, 20th Century Fox made a movie of Marguerite Henry's book - the movie was simply titled Misty. It was released in 1961, and was a quiet children's movie hit, but not a block buster. The movie starred Pam Smith as Maureen Beebe, David Ladd (son of Alan Ladd) as Paul Beebe, and Arthur O'Connell and Anne Seymour as Clarence and Ida (Grandpa and Grandma) Beebe. The movie had used trained Welsh ponies as the Chincoteague ponies; and the foal portraying Misty was a liver chestnut, who had to have her fur dyed on an almost daily basis.
With the Ash Wednesday Storm still a huge news item, the movie was re-released and Margueritr Henry and Misty made multiple appearances around the country, raising funds to replenish the ponies. It was a great success.
Paul Beebe, unfortunately, died from an automobile accident in April of 1957. He had finished a stint in the US Marine Corps and had just joined the US Coast Guard. Clarence Beebe passed away two months later in June of 1957. Ida Whealton Beebe passed away in October 1960, just after the filming of the movie. She never visited the film set. Maureen Beebe is still living on Chincoteague, but she shuns the spotlight. One of her daughters is a photographer and artist on the island, while the other daughter runs a charter Fishing boat service out of Puerto Rico, returning to Chincoteague during her off times. - Misty herself passed away in her sleep on 26 October 1972 at the age of 26. Stormy passed away in 1993, at the age of 31.
Through my Mom's maternal family, we are cousins to Ida Whealton Beebe. Mom used to walk from her home on Peterson Street down to the Beebe Ranch almost every Sunday afternoon in hope that "Uncle Clare" would allow her to do some chores around the Ranch and be able to ride one of his ponies with her cousin, Alma Beebe (Maureen and Paul's aunt). So I come by my love for Chincoteague ponies very legitimately. As a youngster, I rode Misty, Stormy, and Cloudy. Stormy's son, Thunder, took a golf-ball sized piece of flesh out of my back one day while I was grooming him. It took 38 stitches to close the hole, and I can still stick the ball of my thumb in it - almost 37 years later.
Even though Misty and her immediate family never actually ran wild on Chincoteague, there are currently six descendants of Misty running free on Assateague. All of the ponies were bred and born off the island, but were donated back to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (who actually own the ponies) to re-establish the Misty line on the islands. The following ponies were all sired by Walnut Hills Nightwind, a direct descendant of Misty: Beach Boy (a young stallion), and the mares and fillies named Sundance, Wildfire, Summer, Surfette (WH Surf and Sun) and Calendar Girl. Winter Moon, usually shortened to Moon, does not have a pedigree listed.
** The first two photos are from the website Misty's Heaven at www.mistysheaven.com **
The book Misty of Chincoteague made the island famous. The "quaint" tradition of the pony round-up and selling of the youngsters had been written up in newspapers and magazines since the 1870s - and there are several old movie-theater newsreels covering Pony Penning prior to the book being published. Marguerite Henry visited the island of Chincoteague in 1946 during the annual Pony Penning festivities. When she made it known she was writing a book about the ponies, she was introduced to one of the private pony breeders on Chincoteague - Clarence Beebe. She visited the Beebe Ranch on the southeast tip of Chincoteague frequently during her stay at Miss Molly's Inn on Main Street. At the Beebe Ranch, she met Clarence's wife, Ida Whealton Beebe, and their two grandchildren, Paul and Maureen, whom the grandparents were raising.
While on the island, Maureen's favorite riding pony, Phantom, gave birth (on 20 July 1946) to a palomino pinto filly, sired by Clarence Beebe's chestnut pinto stallion, the Pied Piper. Marguerite Henry fell in love with the foal - and purchased her for $150 - with the promise of Clarence to ship her to Fort Wayne, Indiana when she was weaned. Ms Henry also promised to use the real names of the Beebe family in her book, and each of those four Beebes were paid $100 each for the use of their names. (Other than the fame from the books, this is the only monetary recompense that any of the Beebes ever received.)
Ms Henry worked away valiantly on her book, Misty of Chincoteague, and it was published by Rand McNally in 1947. In 1948, it won the coveted Newbery Award from the American Library Association. It is a fictional account of two siblings being raised by their grandparents on Chincoteague Island, and their desire for a pony of their very own. How the two children work hard and save up enough money to purchase the wild pony they see, followed by heartbreak, and ending with an up-lifting gesture of freedom has won hearts around the world. Misty became a celebrity, and Ms Henry took her to library conventions throughout the United States. She was taught to step onto a stool and shake "hands" with people wanting to meet her. She was also a useful riding pony, being ridden in English gear with a double-reined Pelham bridle.
The next book that Marguerite wrote about Chincoteague was titled Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague (published in 1949), after a visit to the island in 1948, where she witnessed the death of an orphaned foal.
In 1958, Ms Henry sent Misty back to Chincoteague to become a mother. Mares can be particular, and Misty was no exception - she fought off the advances of several stallions, and finally accepted the love of Wings in 1959. She had three foals with Wings in three successive years - Phantom Wings arrived in 1960; Wisp O'Mist in 1961; and Stormy in 1962. Phantom Wings was a palomino pinto like his dam; he produced only one known foal, a son named Sandpiper. The fates of both ponies are unknown. Wisp O'Mist was a solid chestnut mare, who also had only one foal, a solid palomino son named Cloudy, who was gelded. Misty's third foal was Stormy, born after the disastrous Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962. All of the ponies labeled "Misty family" ponies today are descendants of Stormy, a chestnut pinto mare with a small crescent moon on her forehead.
The Ash Wednesday Storm killed a majority of the ponies running wild on Assateague. Ms Henry immediately sat down at her typewriter and began writing Stormy, Misty's Foal, which was published in 1963. And children around the world started saving money and sending it for the replenishment of the herds on Chincoteague. A lot of people who had purchased ponies from the island previously gave them back so there would be wild ponies on the island once again.
In 1960, 20th Century Fox made a movie of Marguerite Henry's book - the movie was simply titled Misty. It was released in 1961, and was a quiet children's movie hit, but not a block buster. The movie starred Pam Smith as Maureen Beebe, David Ladd (son of Alan Ladd) as Paul Beebe, and Arthur O'Connell and Anne Seymour as Clarence and Ida (Grandpa and Grandma) Beebe. The movie had used trained Welsh ponies as the Chincoteague ponies; and the foal portraying Misty was a liver chestnut, who had to have her fur dyed on an almost daily basis.
With the Ash Wednesday Storm still a huge news item, the movie was re-released and Margueritr Henry and Misty made multiple appearances around the country, raising funds to replenish the ponies. It was a great success.
Paul Beebe, unfortunately, died from an automobile accident in April of 1957. He had finished a stint in the US Marine Corps and had just joined the US Coast Guard. Clarence Beebe passed away two months later in June of 1957. Ida Whealton Beebe passed away in October 1960, just after the filming of the movie. She never visited the film set. Maureen Beebe is still living on Chincoteague, but she shuns the spotlight. One of her daughters is a photographer and artist on the island, while the other daughter runs a charter Fishing boat service out of Puerto Rico, returning to Chincoteague during her off times. - Misty herself passed away in her sleep on 26 October 1972 at the age of 26. Stormy passed away in 1993, at the age of 31.
Through my Mom's maternal family, we are cousins to Ida Whealton Beebe. Mom used to walk from her home on Peterson Street down to the Beebe Ranch almost every Sunday afternoon in hope that "Uncle Clare" would allow her to do some chores around the Ranch and be able to ride one of his ponies with her cousin, Alma Beebe (Maureen and Paul's aunt). So I come by my love for Chincoteague ponies very legitimately. As a youngster, I rode Misty, Stormy, and Cloudy. Stormy's son, Thunder, took a golf-ball sized piece of flesh out of my back one day while I was grooming him. It took 38 stitches to close the hole, and I can still stick the ball of my thumb in it - almost 37 years later.
Even though Misty and her immediate family never actually ran wild on Chincoteague, there are currently six descendants of Misty running free on Assateague. All of the ponies were bred and born off the island, but were donated back to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (who actually own the ponies) to re-establish the Misty line on the islands. The following ponies were all sired by Walnut Hills Nightwind, a direct descendant of Misty: Beach Boy (a young stallion), and the mares and fillies named Sundance, Wildfire, Summer, Surfette (WH Surf and Sun) and Calendar Girl. Winter Moon, usually shortened to Moon, does not have a pedigree listed.
Maureen Beebe riding the Phantom:
Misty was a rather small 12 hands high:
Misty and her first foal, Phantom Wings:
Misty and Stormy 2 months after the Ash Wednesday Storm - during the storm
Misty was "stalled" in the kitchen of the Beebe house:
Monday, April 30, 2018
Rest In Peace Surf Queen, Wild Island Orchid, Firestar and CLG Wild Star....
I want to thank Darcy Cole and Steve Cole of DSC Photography for calling the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and 911 at the same time yesterday - each one called a number. There were hiking on the north end of the island, looking for new foals. To their horror, they spotted three mares stuck in quicksand. One wasn't moving, but two were still feebly struggling. The CVFC and Pony Committee members were there within 15 minutes.
Wild Island Orchid, a pale chestnut mare had already succumbed to the cold, wet muck and cold water. Randy and Surf Queen were pulled from the quicksand, hauled into stock trailers, and taken to the Carnival Grounds. The mares were suffering from hypothermia and dehydration. They were covered with blankets and given intravenous fluids continuously. Surf Queen, who had been the long-time lead mare for Surfer Dude passed away early this morning. Randy has a cautiously optimistic outlook - if she can survive through tomorrow, and doesn't develop infections, she should be all right.
Wild Island Orchid was buried on Assateague. I'm not sure what will be done with Surf Queen. I would assume she was buried today, also.
Firestar passed away on 19 February 2018 at a private home. She had been a feral pony living on Assateague since 1992 and producing foals for the CVFC up until the fall of 2015. She was born on the Maryland end of Assateague, sired by Saddleback and out of VIP. She was donated by the National Park Service to the Virginia herd in 1994. She was judged too frail to live in the wild at the Fall Round-Up in 2015 and was taken to a private farm, where she was fed grain and hay and was able to decide whether to stay under cover of a run-in or go out into the pasture.
CLG Wild Star was an $11,000 buy back in 2015. Her sire was Wild Thing, and her dam was Fire Star. She was doing well with the other youngsters, but hasn't been seen in months, and was not found at this year's Spring Round-Up. It is assumed she passed away during the winter months.
Wild Island Orchid was also known as Naughty Lady. She was foaled in 1994, and passed away on 29 April 2018. She, Randy and Surf Queen became buddies over the past 18 to 20 months, and were often together while out of sight of their stallion, Hoppy (aka Effie's Papa Bear). Orchid was with the stallion Witch Doctor for many years. Two of her daughters, sired by Witch Doctor, are still on Assateague - Two Teagues Taco, a 2005 foal, and White Saddle, born in 2013. Her last three foals were all fillies, and were sired by Hoppy.
Surf Queen. She was Surfer Dude's lead mare until his death in the winter of 2015. She was born in 1997 and passed away today. It is generally accepted that her sire was General Lee, and her dam was Virginia Belle. After the Dude's passing, she wandered for a year before settling in with Hoppy. She produce a gorgeous bay filly with him on 26 June last year, named Hoppy's Surfing Princess. Three of her foals reside on Assateague, all sired by Surfer Dude: her daughter, Surfin' Scarlett, born in 2000; her son, Surfer Dude's Riptide, born 2009; and her last Dude foal, Surfer Princess, born 2015.
Wild Island Orchid, a pale chestnut mare had already succumbed to the cold, wet muck and cold water. Randy and Surf Queen were pulled from the quicksand, hauled into stock trailers, and taken to the Carnival Grounds. The mares were suffering from hypothermia and dehydration. They were covered with blankets and given intravenous fluids continuously. Surf Queen, who had been the long-time lead mare for Surfer Dude passed away early this morning. Randy has a cautiously optimistic outlook - if she can survive through tomorrow, and doesn't develop infections, she should be all right.
Wild Island Orchid was buried on Assateague. I'm not sure what will be done with Surf Queen. I would assume she was buried today, also.
Firestar passed away on 19 February 2018 at a private home. She had been a feral pony living on Assateague since 1992 and producing foals for the CVFC up until the fall of 2015. She was born on the Maryland end of Assateague, sired by Saddleback and out of VIP. She was donated by the National Park Service to the Virginia herd in 1994. She was judged too frail to live in the wild at the Fall Round-Up in 2015 and was taken to a private farm, where she was fed grain and hay and was able to decide whether to stay under cover of a run-in or go out into the pasture.
CLG Wild Star was an $11,000 buy back in 2015. Her sire was Wild Thing, and her dam was Fire Star. She was doing well with the other youngsters, but hasn't been seen in months, and was not found at this year's Spring Round-Up. It is assumed she passed away during the winter months.
Wild Island Orchid was also known as Naughty Lady. She was foaled in 1994, and passed away on 29 April 2018. She, Randy and Surf Queen became buddies over the past 18 to 20 months, and were often together while out of sight of their stallion, Hoppy (aka Effie's Papa Bear). Orchid was with the stallion Witch Doctor for many years. Two of her daughters, sired by Witch Doctor, are still on Assateague - Two Teagues Taco, a 2005 foal, and White Saddle, born in 2013. Her last three foals were all fillies, and were sired by Hoppy.
Surf Queen. She was Surfer Dude's lead mare until his death in the winter of 2015. She was born in 1997 and passed away today. It is generally accepted that her sire was General Lee, and her dam was Virginia Belle. After the Dude's passing, she wandered for a year before settling in with Hoppy. She produce a gorgeous bay filly with him on 26 June last year, named Hoppy's Surfing Princess. Three of her foals reside on Assateague, all sired by Surfer Dude: her daughter, Surfin' Scarlett, born in 2000; her son, Surfer Dude's Riptide, born 2009; and her last Dude foal, Surfer Princess, born 2015.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Island Sunrises and Sunsets - Photos
Chincoteague Bay sunset
Assateague sunrise
Chincoteague Channel sunset
Happy and Bodacious Bob with Assateague sunset
(Photo by Beached Paws Photography)
Chincoteague Channel sunset
Crab pot sunrise
(Photo by Beached Paws Photography)
Marsh Island sunset
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Spring Pony Round-Up - April 7 & 8
The world famous Chincoteague ponies will have one of their three annual round-ups this Friday and Saturday. The ponies, made famous in Marguerite Henry's book, Misty of Chincoteague, which 20th Century Fox made into a movie in 1960 (released in 1961) titled "Misty," live year round on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the barrier island of Assateague, in the state of Virginia.
The island of Assateague is 33 miles long, and is located in both the state of Maryland and the state of Virginia. All of Assateague Island is a designated National Seashore - and ponies roam free in both states on the island. The ponies in Maryland, on the northern end of the island, are completely feral and receive no medical care - other than the females receiving contraception darts each year, to prevent over-breeding, which would lead to over-grazing, which would lead to a starvation death.
The ponies on the southern end of Assateague are another story. They are actually owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, they receive veterinarian care, are fed hay in snow storms, have firemen chop away ice at water holes when they freeze over during the winter, and are rounded up for care three times a year. Other than the week of Pony Penning, which occurs during the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, the ponies have free range in the north and south compartments of the Virginia section of Assateague.
Each pony is checked by veteran horsemen and a licensed local veterinarian (and his technicians), they receive their annual shots and have their blood taken to test for diseases. Hoofs are trimmed, if needed, teeth are floated (filed) if needed. Every single known pony will be checked out, and looked for, if missing.
So far, as of 9 p.m. Mountain Time tonight, April 5, there are four new 2017 foals in the herds. All four are sired by Tornado's Legacy, a buckskin pinto stallion. There are three fillies and one colt. Suede, a first-time mother in Riptide's herd, produced a handsome sorrel colt, allowed him to nurse and then abandoned him. The CVFC had a mini-round-up, got the mare and foal back together, and trailered them to a farm for bonding and better growth. The colt passed away after 4 days, even though he was nursing and looked well.
The northern herds on the Virginia end of Assateague will be rounded up, examined, vaccinated and released on Friday, 7 April. The southern herds will be rounded up and processed on Saturday, April 8th. On Saturday, also, the nearly yearlings who spent the winter at the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds will be checked over and then released onto Assateague until the summer round-up and swim.
This year, the Annual Pony Swim and Auction will take place on July 26 and 28. The Saltwater Cowboys will begin rounding-up the ponies on Saturday, July 22. They will all be checked and vetted. On Wednesday, the combined herds will swim the Assateague Channel (at slack tide) from Assateague to Chincoteague. Thursday morning, the foals will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. A few foals will be designated "Buy Backs", and they will be announced before the bidding begins. A Buy Back foal can be purchased by anyone - but they leave the foal in perpetual care of the CFVC for breeding purposes. If you purchase a Buy Back, you receive your bill of sale, you get to name the foal, and you get to have your photo taken with the foal. That's it - other than being able to visit the baby as it grows through the years, at Round-ups, and seeing what babies it produces as an adult. If you purchase a non-Buy Back foal, you must make arrangements to have it trailered to your home - you can't put the baby into the back of a pick-up truck, or an SUV. It must travel in a stock or horse trailer..... But that's several months in the future at the moment.
The island of Assateague is 33 miles long, and is located in both the state of Maryland and the state of Virginia. All of Assateague Island is a designated National Seashore - and ponies roam free in both states on the island. The ponies in Maryland, on the northern end of the island, are completely feral and receive no medical care - other than the females receiving contraception darts each year, to prevent over-breeding, which would lead to over-grazing, which would lead to a starvation death.
The ponies on the southern end of Assateague are another story. They are actually owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, they receive veterinarian care, are fed hay in snow storms, have firemen chop away ice at water holes when they freeze over during the winter, and are rounded up for care three times a year. Other than the week of Pony Penning, which occurs during the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, the ponies have free range in the north and south compartments of the Virginia section of Assateague.
Each pony is checked by veteran horsemen and a licensed local veterinarian (and his technicians), they receive their annual shots and have their blood taken to test for diseases. Hoofs are trimmed, if needed, teeth are floated (filed) if needed. Every single known pony will be checked out, and looked for, if missing.
So far, as of 9 p.m. Mountain Time tonight, April 5, there are four new 2017 foals in the herds. All four are sired by Tornado's Legacy, a buckskin pinto stallion. There are three fillies and one colt. Suede, a first-time mother in Riptide's herd, produced a handsome sorrel colt, allowed him to nurse and then abandoned him. The CVFC had a mini-round-up, got the mare and foal back together, and trailered them to a farm for bonding and better growth. The colt passed away after 4 days, even though he was nursing and looked well.
The northern herds on the Virginia end of Assateague will be rounded up, examined, vaccinated and released on Friday, 7 April. The southern herds will be rounded up and processed on Saturday, April 8th. On Saturday, also, the nearly yearlings who spent the winter at the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds will be checked over and then released onto Assateague until the summer round-up and swim.
This year, the Annual Pony Swim and Auction will take place on July 26 and 28. The Saltwater Cowboys will begin rounding-up the ponies on Saturday, July 22. They will all be checked and vetted. On Wednesday, the combined herds will swim the Assateague Channel (at slack tide) from Assateague to Chincoteague. Thursday morning, the foals will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. A few foals will be designated "Buy Backs", and they will be announced before the bidding begins. A Buy Back foal can be purchased by anyone - but they leave the foal in perpetual care of the CFVC for breeding purposes. If you purchase a Buy Back, you receive your bill of sale, you get to name the foal, and you get to have your photo taken with the foal. That's it - other than being able to visit the baby as it grows through the years, at Round-ups, and seeing what babies it produces as an adult. If you purchase a non-Buy Back foal, you must make arrangements to have it trailered to your home - you can't put the baby into the back of a pick-up truck, or an SUV. It must travel in a stock or horse trailer..... But that's several months in the future at the moment.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Ponies at Maryland-Virginia Line on Assateague - Photos
** Please note that Beached Paws takes fantastic photos, year 'round,
on Assateague. Her photos are truly incredible. Check out her
website and her Facebook page - and buy a gorgeous photo! **
These photos are from Beached Paws Photography, Berlin, Maryland
on Assateague. Her photos are truly incredible. Check out her
website and her Facebook page - and buy a gorgeous photo! **
These photos are from Beached Paws Photography, Berlin, Maryland
and were taken last summer:
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...
Monday, January 9, 2017
Assateague & Chincoteague's January Snow
Chincoteague Island got about 8 inches of snow on Saturday - not sure how
much fell on Assateague...
Icing on the Assateague Channel
Maryland end of Assateague Island
Virginia end of Assateague - Pixie Dust is visible
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company broke the ice on several waterholes
so the ponies could drink...
The CVFC also took over quite a few rounds of hay and distributed them
in different areas for the different herds.
Mike Murphy had to re-fuel to continue plowing lanes, streets and driveways
And you KNOW it's a lot of snow when Cahttie's and Don's closes!
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Miscellaneous Photos
Bald Eagle on Assateague Island
Black squirrel
Tree swallow migration on Assateague Island
Where in the world....??
Friday, October 7, 2016
Assateague and Chincoteague Photos
Buckeye, a 9-year-old Feather Fund Chincoteague pony, gallops along Tom's Cove
Charmed and her new colt on the Maryland end
Butterfly Kisses - Riptide foal
Chincoteague Bay sunset
CNWR sunset
Eagle eye, Assateague
Dolphin family
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Bay and Island Photos
Ramshorn Bay, Eastern Shore of Virginia
Brown pelicans
Oysters
Weather gnarled tree on Assateague
Assateague (MD) ponies
Ponies on the beach at Assateague (MD)
Dewey, a Maryland stallion
Friday, August 26, 2016
Pets, Photos, and Tunkan Hoksila
It's been a busy day, and this is my first chance to sit down and blog... There were a lot of small planes in the skies today, which meant that Cooper had to chase them all - as far as he could see and hear them in the fenced back yard. Even Lola, his cohort in crime, got tired of bolting from the living room, charging onto the deck and then leaping out into space to hit the ground running - and come face-to-face with a six-foot solid board fence...Both Pounce and Tipsi, the two cats, were bored with the commotions after only an hour. They would heave huge sighs each time the dogs charged out to chase the plane... Lola doesn't do it on her own - she just goes to back up Cooper. She pooped out this afternoon, and Cooper was plane chasing on his own.... Dogs - they are forever hopeful.
Walked both Rosie and Charlie this morning. Rosie is doing great for a big dog who's almost 14 and a half years old. Her hind legs still give her trouble, and will, for the rest of her life, but otherwise, she's in great health. Eats well, has an interest in what's happening around her, is very sociable - she's just not steady on her feet any longer... Charlie is a handful. She's part Pug, and I'd swear the other half is whippet. She has, almost, a Pug's face - but definitely has the head, neck, chest, back and tail of a large Pug. Then she has these really thin, long, stilt-like legs... She's an orange and brown brindle, and is cute as a bug. Bouncy, happy, always eager to go - and she loves her toys.
Finally finished cropping and captioning all eleven albums - 1,544 photos - from my vacation. I am so glad that is over! I feel I can relax again, now that that "job" is done. I hate finding photos and not being able to remember when, or where, I took them. I have to admit that I like the Snapfish albums, and the ability they give one to crop the photos and to caption them... I thought I had taken about 1,500 photos all together. I was wrong. I took over 1,800, and then friends shared their photos from different perspectives with me. I've weeded these 1,544 photos out of over 3,000 photos... I'll start sharing a few of the best of the best here on this page soon.
One really awful thing happened on Assateague Island while I was on the Eastern Shore for my vacation. On Friday, the 29th of July, after night had fallen, there was a hit-and-run accident with a car or truck that ended in death. One of the stallions on the Maryland end of Assateague was struck by a vehicle. The impact crushed both of the horse's hind legs, and threw him into a ditch beside the road. Tunkan Hoksila did not die immediately - he lived for another two hours, or more, awaiting a licensed veterinarian to assess the damage to his body, and then be euthanized. Since it was obviously a vehicular accident, the Maryland State Patrol and the US Park Service were involved in the investigation. Several campers were also there on the scene. Poor Tunkan Hoksila!
Walked both Rosie and Charlie this morning. Rosie is doing great for a big dog who's almost 14 and a half years old. Her hind legs still give her trouble, and will, for the rest of her life, but otherwise, she's in great health. Eats well, has an interest in what's happening around her, is very sociable - she's just not steady on her feet any longer... Charlie is a handful. She's part Pug, and I'd swear the other half is whippet. She has, almost, a Pug's face - but definitely has the head, neck, chest, back and tail of a large Pug. Then she has these really thin, long, stilt-like legs... She's an orange and brown brindle, and is cute as a bug. Bouncy, happy, always eager to go - and she loves her toys.
Finally finished cropping and captioning all eleven albums - 1,544 photos - from my vacation. I am so glad that is over! I feel I can relax again, now that that "job" is done. I hate finding photos and not being able to remember when, or where, I took them. I have to admit that I like the Snapfish albums, and the ability they give one to crop the photos and to caption them... I thought I had taken about 1,500 photos all together. I was wrong. I took over 1,800, and then friends shared their photos from different perspectives with me. I've weeded these 1,544 photos out of over 3,000 photos... I'll start sharing a few of the best of the best here on this page soon.
One really awful thing happened on Assateague Island while I was on the Eastern Shore for my vacation. On Friday, the 29th of July, after night had fallen, there was a hit-and-run accident with a car or truck that ended in death. One of the stallions on the Maryland end of Assateague was struck by a vehicle. The impact crushed both of the horse's hind legs, and threw him into a ditch beside the road. Tunkan Hoksila did not die immediately - he lived for another two hours, or more, awaiting a licensed veterinarian to assess the damage to his body, and then be euthanized. Since it was obviously a vehicular accident, the Maryland State Patrol and the US Park Service were involved in the investigation. Several campers were also there on the scene. Poor Tunkan Hoksila!
And he would have had a chance to sire foals in the near future, too. Now his bloodline won't be continued. Three colts, all sired by Yankee, had been born so far this year on the Maryland end of Assateague. The day after Tunkan Hoksila died, the final expectant mare gave birth to a filly (also sired by Yankee).... The circle of life does continue.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Recent Island Photos
Looking north, up the Chincoteague Channel, today
Two of the rides at the Firemens Carnival
Gokey Go Bones and Yankee's colt - he has 4 socks plus the sea dollar on his side
Pedestrian crossing on Chincoteague Main Street
Shrimper in the Chincoteague Channel
Jellyfish
Gull with lunch
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