Pony Penning Week 2019 - Updated Activities Schedule

Pony Penning Week is fast approaching, and a lot of people are getting excited.  The week (actually 9 nights and 7 days) of activities, can actually start being counted on Friday night, July 19th, with the evening opening of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's Carnival, and ends with the closing of the Carnival on Saturday night/Sunday morning of July 27th.
   On Saturday, the 20th of July, there is a slight change this year:  the round-up of the herds in the Southern compartment used to begin in the afternoon; this year it is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. (This has already brought some complaints from people who will be in transit that morning - but there is plenty to see and do the entire week.)  There are currently three groups in the south - Riptide's herd, the Don Leonard Stud II's herd, and the group of yearlings that are the 2018 Buy Back ponies.  Once the ponies are rounded up, they can be viewed at the main corrals on Beach Road on Assateague Island in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.  The Carnival is open Saturday night.

(2013)

   Sunday morning, the herds in the Northern compartment will be rounded up and gathered together.  I believe that the bus seats have all been sold out, so if you wish to see the herds in the northern holding corral, you will need to hike 2.5 miles north up the Service Road off  of the Wildlife Loop.  This is not a road open to personal vehicles.  You will have to walk there, and walk back.  Take lots of water for hydration and lots of insect repellent, if you choose to walk.
   Monday morning, 22 July, at dawn, the Saltwater Cowboys will move the northern herds east across Assateague to the Atlantic surf.  There, the ponies will be herded south along the beach to the CNWR/Assateague National Seashore parking lot, and then west along Beach Road to the main corrals, where the southern herds are gathered.

(2011)

   Monday afternoon and Tuesday, the herds will be in the main corrals.  The veterinarians on call, with their vet technicians, will check each and every pony for fitness.  The foals' blood will be drawn for Coggins' testing (so new owners can transport the babies across state lines later in the week).  The vets will decided which ponies are too young, too old, or in such condition as to warrant a trailer ride to the Chincoteague  Carnival Grounds instead of swimming.  (Unci, an older mare with a swayback due to a genetic condition, is usually trailered over, along with very pregnant mares, or those with cuts, scrapes, or other things indicating transport versus swimming.)  This is a great time and place to take photos - however, the board fencing can make photography difficult.  If you have a step-stool or a short ladder, you might wish to take it along for good photos with fencing in the view.

(Riptide & Ajax)

   Wednesday morning, 24 July, is the actual Pony Swim Day.  I have heard that it will occur between 8:30 and 10:30 that morning - but the time is always subject to change.  The ponies swim when the US Coast Guard declares the tide running between the islands is "slack" - when it is not moving north or south, when it can carry the ponies away.  The time of slack tide can be influenced by local storms. Some people are at the swim area by 5 a.m., others arrive later.  It is very hot and humid beside the Assateague Channel, and there are quite a few cases of heat exhaustion each year in the crowds along the Channel.  Please take plenty of water to hydrate everyone in your party... 
   The Swim itself takes about 3 minutes from the time a pony enters the water from Assateague until it stands on solid ground on Chincoteague.  The first foal to reach Chincoteague is declared King or Queen Neptune (depending on gender) and is raffled off in a drawing.  Tickets are being sold now, and will be sold up until an hour before the actual drawing.
   Once all ponies are ashore on Chincoteague, and King or Queen Neptune has been marked, the ponies are given a 45 to 60 minute rest period.  Then the Saltwater Cowboys herd them along Beebe Road and the north on Main Street to the Carnival Grounds - the Pony Penning Parade on Main Street.  The Pony Committee of the CVFC will decide the choices of sexes for replacement breeding stock needed on the island due to deaths and illnesses. The Pony Committee members, along with the vets, will have been looking at the foals and evaluating bloodlines, conformation and coloring, and they will choose the foals to be designated as Buy Backs on those criteria.  The Carnival will open about 90 minutes after the ponies are in the pens on Main Street, and will stay open until 11.

   The Pony Auction begins at 8 o'clock on Thursday, 25 July, with foals being sold to the highest bidder.  Payment to the CVFC in the amount of the winning bid, must be paid in cash, with Travelers' Checks, or through a Visa or Mastercard payment.  No other types of payment are accepted.  Most foals will travel to new (hopefully, "forever") homes, but the designated Buy Backs stay on the islands.  If you purchase a designated Buy Back pony, you receive a tax write-off for the amount of purchase, as you are essentially giving your money to the CVFC for the naming of the foal.  The CVFC will maintain the foal throughout it's life and will be able to sell any foals that pony produces as it grows older.
   If you purchase a pony to take home with you, you will receive a sales receipt,  a veterinary report, and a care booklet, plus other donated "goodies" (these change from year to year).  You are expected to provide approved transportation from the Carnival Grounds by noon on Saturday, 27 July.  If the foal you purchase is too young to separate from it's mother, you must return in October for the Fall Round-Up and have transportation for your foal at that time.   The Carnival will be open Thursday afternoon and evening.

   On Friday, 26 July, the ponies living in the southern compartment will make the return swim from Chincoteague back to Assateague on the morning's slack tide.  The expected swim time for Friday is announced Thursday night at the Carnival.   Ponies from the north end will be trailered back to Assateague during the day.  The Carnival is open Friday night.

   The Carnival will be open the evening of Saturday the 27th of July, and drawings for all of the raffles will occur just before closing.   
   And Chincoteague can settle back into it's usual summertime routine once again.
 

Pony Penning Week Activities Through 28 July 2018

This is actually the third day of Pony Penny Week activities on Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia.  And today, the fun and sun and sand stuff will begin by 6 o'clock this morning...  The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will open its gates at 5, so folks can be in place along the North Beach to see the annual Dawn Beach Walk.  The Saltwater Cowboys will have their mounts trailered over to the North Holding Pens, and will drive the combined northern herds down Assateague Beach to the CNWR beach parking lot, and then west along Beach Road to the Southern Holding Pens.  There will be fights between the stallions as the northern herds are combined with the southern herds inside the corrals...
  On Saturday evening, sometimes in a driving rain, the Saltwater Cowboys rounded up the five distinct southern groups - Surfer's Riptide and his mares and foals; Maverick with his harem and progeny; Don Leonard Stud II and his ladies; "the '17's," the group of Buy-Back fillies and colts from last year; and "the Misty's," a small cadre of donated mares that are related to Misty of Chincoteague.  All ponies known to be in the southern compound were brought in.
  Sunday, the Saltwater Cowboys had to cover a much larger territory and gather up the herds on the northern end.  These included the herds of:  Chief Golden Eagle, Prince of Tides, Neptune (aka Little Dolphin), Rainbow Warrior, Hoppy (aka Effie's Poppa Bear), Ajax, Puzzle (aka Archer's Gambit), Ace (Ace's Black Tie Affair), Wild Thing, Ken and Tornado's Legacy.
   Already at the Carnival Grounds pens are:  Bay Girl with her adopted mystery colt; Lyra's Vega, who is recovering from a badly cut fetlock; and Saltwater Renegade (aka Beach Boy), who is there to keep the ladies company.  We have lost three of sixty-three foals born this year - for ponies that run wild, that's a very low mortality rate. One was seen soon after birth and was never seen again; Bay Girl's foal did not thrive and passed away, while both were under veterinary care; and Poco's Starry Night's black filly disappeared after 1 July.   The mystery foal was spotted trying to nurse and attach himself to a mare who was still pregnant; he was brought to the Carnival Grounds and was bottle-fed until Bay Girl's colt died.  Then the little pinto colt was adopted by the bay mare who still had lots of milk and love to give...
   Once all the ponies are in the Holding pens on Beach Road and settled in, the Saltwater Cowboys, the Pony Committee of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, and the CFVC veterinarian, Dr. Charles Cameron (and his associate veterinarians and vet technicians) will check every equine entity in the corrals.  This will occur Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.  All foals will have their blood drawn and tested for communicable diseases, so their traveling papers and health certificates will be available on Thursday after the Pony Auction for the new owners.   Dr. Cameron will decide which ponies should not swim across Assateague Channel at slack tide Wednesday morning - this usually includes Unci, whose genetic sway back makes swimming long distances difficult for her - and those ponies and/or foals will be trailered to the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague.
  Wednesday morning, between 8 and 10 o'clock, the US Coast Guard will send up a red flare to indicate slack tide - an interval when the tide is running neither north or south, which can sweep the ponies away from their swim arrival spot.  Earlier, the Salwater Cowboys will have rounded up all of the ponies from the holding pens and driven them west on Beach Road until they reach Black Duck Marsh, where they will cross over to Old Dominion Point.  There, they will rest the ponies and allow them to graze until the flare goes up.  Then the ponies will be herded into the Assateague Channel to swim over to Chincoteague Island.  ** The Pony Swim will have live streaming footage on Facebook via WBOC-TV, Channel 16, from Salisbury, Maryland. **  Once the ponies have made the crossing, they will be allowed to rest for 45 to 60 minutes and then once again will be on the move - going along Beebe Road to Main Street and then north to the pens at the Carnival Grounds.
   Thursday morning, the Pony Auction will begin at 8 o'clock.  The price for a pony can be as low as $400, or as high as $25,000.  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company accepts cash, traveler's checks, Visa and MasterCard.  Personal checks or other types of credit cards are NOT accepted.  -  And, if you purchase a pony (other than a Buy Back), it must be removed from the Carnival Grounds by 5 pm Friday.  If you plan to purchase a pony, make sure you have your travel arrangements for it made ahead of time.  You CANNOT take it a foal home inside your van, SUV, or station wagon.
   Friday morning is the swim back to freedom, from Chincoteague to Assateague.  The viewing crowd is greatly diminished.  The ponies living on the southern end of the island make the swim back.  The herds from the northern end are trailered back, so they do not have to cross Beach Road on Assateague, impeding traffic and possibly being struck by a car.
   23 July through 28 July, Monday through Saturday evenings, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's Carnival is open from 7 until 11 o'clock.  Sandwiches, pizza, fries, funnel cakes, drinks, music, bingo, and rides are available.  Go and enjoy a small town event!

Chincoteague and Assateague Photos

Conch shell on Assateague National Seashore

Willet in Tom's Cove on Assateague

After the 2015 Pony Swim

This cremello colt was born Monday night/Tuesday morning

The colt's dam is Surfin' Scarlet, a daughter of Surfer Dude and Surf Queen.  The sire is Chief Golden Eagle, a palomino.

This is the lone foal born on the Maryland end of Assateague this year.  Her mother is known as Jo-Jo, and her sire is Llama Boy.

Yearlings and Chief Golden Eagle's herd on Assateague, a week before Pony Penning.

This foal wants to go back to his momma - and not be auctioned off.

Scenes From the 2015 Pony Penning

In the Southern Holding Pens on Assateague

Saltwater Cowboys lead the Dawn Beach Walk

Almost there...

Chincoteague, we have arrived.

Pony Parade north on Main Street, Chincoteague

$25,000 filly, sired by Surfer Dude, out of Got Milk

The folks who bought this foal will come back in October to pick him up and take him home

Foals awaiting their new homes

The swim back to freedom on Assateague begins

2014 Pony Penning and More

The weather for Pony Penning has been fantastic - the Swim happened on Wednesday close to noon; Thursday saw the auction of 54 foals, raising $149,700 for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company; and the return swim back to Assateague occurred without a hitch Friday morning.  Most raffle drawings will take place tonight on the Carnival Grounds - unless noted otherwise, you do nor have to be present to win.
   You might have noticed that my blogs this past week have not been as in depth or chatty as usual.  I've been caring for a cat who lost his litter-mate of 18 years; their people had a long-planned vacation scheduled, and I have been trying to comfort and provide solace to Tugger, who misses Sasquatch very much.  I was going to be at home this week, going to feed the two boys twice a day, and walk Rosie in the morning.  I'm staying with Tugger, walking Rosie, visiting and walking Tessa three times a day, and fitting in a few hours with my kits whenever possible.  That hasn't allowed me much time to comb for photos and reports about Pony Penning to be able to share with you.  Of course, I'll be on Chincoteague for the two next Pony Pennings, and will not be able to post while I'm there....  It will be a true vacation!
  There were ten designated "buy back" foals in the 54, and one was specified for  the Chincoteague Public Library.  A "buy back" foal is one that the CVFC Pony Committee has decided is very handsome or beautiful, might have unusual markings, and/or has an old bloodline that needs to be continued for the diversity of the herds.  An announcement is made, prior to the beginning of the bidding, that the pony is a designated "buy back" - people may bid on the pony, name it, and have their photo taken with it; but the pony then returns to Assateague as a permanent member of the herds.  The highest priced foal ever at the auction happened this year - a black and white pinto filly was a "buy back" purchase at $21,000.

Her sire is Sockett to Me, and her dam is Leah's Bayside Angel.  This pretty lady certainly looks like she's worth the amount bid.

*****

 Don't know if I'll have the chance to blog tomorrow or not...  Boulder is hosting it's first Ironman contest, which begins at 6:30 tomorrow morning at the Boulder Reservoir, then the 112.5 mile bike race will be closing down city and county streets, and the Boulder Creek Path is closed for the running of the marathon. Bus schedules will be disrupted, and taxi service will be spotty.... There were 3,000 openings for this Ironman contest and all of the entries were filled before 24 hours had passed.  There are tons of people and sponsors in town, and they don't know where they're going, or where they need to go.  It's frustrating - just like the first two weeks of Fall Classes at CU.

Pony Swim and Parade Yesterday; Auction Happening NOW

There was gorgeous weather for yesterday's Pony Swim and Parade on Main Street - low 80s and medium humidity (for the islands).  The US Coast Guard shot the red flare at about 11:50, the ponies began to enter the Channel from Assateague Island about 11:55, and the first ponies arrived on Chincoteague at 12 noon.  The ponies were given a 45 minute rest and were then herded up Pony Swim Drive to Beebe Road and then north on Main Street.  There were a few break-aways, as usual, and all returned safely to the herds.  The ponies arrived safely at the Carnival Grounds, and settled in nicely.  The Pony Auction, which benefits the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, began at 8 a.m. (EDT) this morning.
   The swim back to Assateague will happen "early" tomorrow, Friday, morning, with the ponies heading back to the swim lane between 7 and 7:30 a.m.  There will be less than half of the crowd in attendance for the swim back, as opposed to the numbers there yesterday.
    Pony Swim and Parade photos from yesterday:

Courtney's Boy and Riptide dispute territory at the Carnival Grounds

Chincoteague Island - News, Happenings, Approximate Swim Time

You can't tell that I love my Mother's hometown, can you?  How can you find a better place?  It's an island; the local seafood and locally grown food is totally fresh; there is the National Seashore on the next island; there is a National Wildlife Refuge on the next island; one can easily use a bicycle to travel all over both islands, Chincoteague and Assateague;  there are museums, a library, bookstores and wonderful shops available; one can rent a bike, a boat, a kayak, a canoe, or a moped to get around; the island trolley service is available; one can bird-watch, pony-watch, or people-watch; one can camp out, or rent a house, condo, motel or hotel room, or stay at a bed and breakfast; swim at the beach, or at your motel/hotel....  read in the shade or the sun; listen to the waves or lap of water against a bulkhead and hear the cries of the seabirds; catch your own supper; eat in or eat out....  Your choices are endless.
   Besides being named the "Happiest Seaside Town" by Trip Advisor.com, Chincoteague can also claim, as of yesterday, to be the home of the Best Ice Cream in the United States - Kelly Conklin's Island Creamery has been named as having the best ice cream, again by TripAdvisor.com.  Of course, I highly recommend several businesses on the island, besides the Island Creamery...  The Horse With No Name Studio and Gallery on Main Street, The Purple Pony, each and every established restaurant, Captain Barry's Back Bay Tours (and Sunset Cruises), Pony Tails Salt Water Taffy, and Sundial Books, to name a few.  I usually stay with relatives, when I'm on the island, but having stayed at two establishments, I can highly recommend the Refuge Inn and Dove Winds.
  The Pony Auction will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, a week from today.  Consulting the tide charts, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and the US Coast Guard are advising visitors that slack tide, the only time it's safe for the ponies to swim the Assateague Channel, will occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, 30 July. That means a long wait in hot sun and high humidity for those waiting on the Chincoteague shore to see the Pony Swim.  If you decide to go early to get a good viewpoint, please remember to take plenty of sunscreen, mosquito and/or fly repellent, a shady hat, sun glasses, and plenty of water and/or Gatorade (or an equivalent) - drink frequently, and hopefully you won't need an ambulance ride due to heat exhaustion.
   The 27th Annual Chincoteague Blueberry Festival will begin tomorrow, 25 July, and will continue until Sunday evening.  Admission is $5 per day for adults, $8 for a two-day pass, or $10 for a three-day pass.  Children under 12 have an admission fee of $1.  Any thing and everything you can imagine that can be prepared and cooked with blueberries will be available.  There are also more than 100 artists who will be displaying their arts and crafts for sale, as well as day-long musical entertainment and the wandering Jamel the Magician.  The Festival is open from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and is held at the Chincoteague Community Center.
   With Pony Penning happening on July 30, 31 and August 1, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's Carnival will be open every evening (except Sunday) from Friday, 25 July,  through Saturday, 2 August.  Most folk call our Carnival "quaint" - there are lots of  food booths (fries, hamburgers, clam and oyster fritters, pizza, hotdogs, pies, fried softcrab sandwiches) - and lots of booths with skill and chance games, there's a Bingo area, and the Carnival rides - a Ferris wheel, The Whip, a carousel, and many others.  There are also a lot of raffle items up for grabs - a quilt, a Chincoteague pony, usually a boat, motor and trailer, a motorcycle, riding lawn  mower, and more.  For many years, the Carnival was where cousins held reunions and caught up on family news, because it was regarded as "Homecoming Week."
  (Can you tell that I want to be there?)

Return Swim to Assateague

The auction should be over by now, but I'm still awaiting photos and numbers.  In the meantime, it was announced that the estimated time for the swim back across Assateague Channel will be about 7:30 a.m. (EDT) tomorrow (Friday) morning.  The crowds will be less, there will be fewer ponies actually making the swim, but it's still awesome to watch.
   I know the first foal to sell this morning was a pinto filly, and she was hammered down for a price of $700.  A palomino paint filly brought a bid of $2,600; and three of the "buy back" foals were purchased for $4,000,  $10,000  and $12,000.  Photos of the palomino pinto and the $10,000 buy back foal follow:

$2,600  purchase

$10,000 "buy back" filly

Chincoteague Pony Auction Begins in a Few Minutes

I'll blog this afternoon about the auction, with numbers and photos.  The auction is scheduled to start in 2 minutes at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague Island.  All proceeds go to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  They accept payments in cash, traveler's checks, and Visa and Master Card.  No personal checks and no American Express, or other credit cards are accepted.  This money is spent for equipment and training of our fire fighters and EMS crews.  Remember, the closest hospitals are 60 miles away - and our citizens, their health, homes, and businesses are very important to our community.

Chincoteague Ponies Now on Carnival Grounds

Slack tide occurred about 9 a.m. (EDT) this morning, and the US Coast Guard Cutter in the Assateague Channel sent up a red flare.  Seeing this, the Saltwater Cowboys of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company began to drive the combined herds of Chincoteague ponies into the Channel, to swim the 1/8 mile of water between the islands.  Taking approximately 3 minutes, all of the stallions, mares and foals that swam this year made it across safely.  After a rest on the east side of Chincoteague, near Memorial Park, the ponies were then herded down the streets of the island to the Carnival Grounds on south Main Street.  The ponies will stay in the pens at the Carnival until Friday morning, when they will swim back to Assateague. 
  Tomorrow morning, starting at 8 a.m. (EDT), the annual auction of foals will begin.  Normally, only foals born this year, and a few yearlings (late arriving foals from last year), are auctioned.  Most of the ponies go home with their new families Thursday afternoon or Friday.  A few very young foals will return to Assateague with their herds until the fall round-up, when they can be safely weaned from their mothers milk.  (Buyers of these foals will have to return in October to take their ponies home.)  Some of the ponies will be designated as "buy back" ponies - these are ponies with excellent bloodlines, confirmation, and, sometimes, unusual markings, that the Pony Committee wishes to keep as bloodstock (for breeding purposes).  If you purchase a "buy back" pony tomorrow, you can name it and have your photo taken with it, but then it is returned to roam free on Assateague ...

    Here are some photos of my favorite foals this year:

This colt is impressive from both sides:

He's from one of the northern herds.

I also like this splashy paint...

I'd take this bay with a star in a heartbeat...

This snazzy colt will probably get a lot of bidding - he'll be dark brown, almost black, with those white splashes

This little heart-breaker will a a dark-tipped tail

Any takers for a chestnut or sorrel?

Besides the nice buckskin and the chestnut paint foal, this palomino pinto is sure to draw heavy bidding, as most children (and grown-ups, too) will say that it's Misty reborn...

Rumors have it that 67 foals will be auctioned off tomorrow....