Foal 53 Is Here - Plus Photos of Other Foals In the CNWR

Foal fifty-three arrived on June 5, along with two others.  The 53rd baby is a filly out of Shy Anne (also known as Half 'n' Half) and was sired by (probably) Ajax, but possibly by Neptune.  (Neptune hasn't had any documented foals in about 3 years - he covers and breeds the mares, but no babies appear, so we believe that he's become sterile.) 

Foal 52 is out of Black Pearl and sired by Maverick - a solid black filly...

And some photos of the older foals...

Foal 4 - a filly is the first Misty of Chincoteague descendant born

in the wild on Assateague; out of Moon, by Don Leonard Stud II

Foal 7 - a buckskin colt; out of Miracle's Natural Beauty,

sired by Tornado's Legacy

 Foal 37 - a colt; out of Friendly Girl (aka Witch Kraft).

sired by Chief Golden Eagle

 Foal 39 - a filly born at the Carnival Grounds; out of Judy's Little Smooch,

sired by Tornado's Legacy

Foal 45 -  a colt; out of Randy, sired by Surfer's Riptide

Foal 50  - a colt; out of Poco's Starry Night, sired by Riptide

**  My thanks for the use of the above photos to the people and entities who took them!  **

Foals 47 and 48 Have Arrived - Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Foals numbered 47 and 48 arrived over the holiday weekend in the herds belonging to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  Originally, the two had the others' number, but it was discovered that Gracey's baby was on the ground Sunday afternoon in a set of photos Nicole Menta took of Prince's band.  So, no sex determination as yet, but Gracey produced foal 47 on Sunday, May 26, and A Splash of Freckles produced foal 48 on Memorial Day, May 27 - both in the northern compartment of CNWR.  Photos were taken by, and are the property of, DSC Photography.

Foal # 47 -  a buckskin out  of Gracey, sired by Prince of Tides

Foal # 48 -  a bay pinto out of A Splash of Freckles, sired by Legacy

Latest Chincoteague Pony Foal Photos...

The latest mare to foal delivered baby 42 to the Chincoteague Pony herd that belongs to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  A new foal was spotted with Alice's Sandcastle, who has been in Maverick's herd for two years.  The mare is a sooty buckskin, like Poco Latte, and it is difficult to determine what the foals' color will be once it sheds its' baby fur. (It could be a sooty buckskin like Mom, a bay, or black.)   So far, only one photo from a distance, taken by DSC Photography:

  And, thanks to DSC Photography, we have some great photos of  foal # 41, a perlino pinto with two blue eyes.  This baby boy was sired by Legacy, and is out of the buckskin mare Zustan - her first foal.

    This little filly  looks to make an excellent riding horse/pony.  She is foal 11, a chestnut pinto chunk, out of Dreamer's Gift, and sired by either Ajax or Puzzle.   Photos by DSC Photography.

  There were only four photos of foal 23, a foal out of Gingersnap (Surfer's Shining Star)  and Prince, all taken at a great distance.  This is the closest one yet, even though all one sees is a golden hump asleep in the grass beside her Mom - both at the left of the photo.  Taken by Gina Aguilera and posted on her Chincoteague Pony Names: Smartphone App Facebook page:

** I had, a few days ago, posted two photos of what I thought was foal 23, in the woods with her dam.  They are not foal 23, but foal 19 with her dam, Surfer Princess.  I will correct that post as soon as I am finished with this one.  **

  Foal 34, a chestnut filly, out of Kimmee Sue, and sired by Ken.  DSC Photography.

And foal 36, a palomino pinto out of Lorna Dune and sired by Prince.  This photo is by Gina Aguilera, and is from her Chincoteague Pony Names: Smartphone App site:

Twenty-four Chincoteague Pony Foals So Far...

   First, it seems like Jigsaw has died.  No body found, but she has not been seen for more than four weeks.  She was born 5 June 2013, and was the daughter of stallion Wild Thing and Cody 2 Socks.  She was not found for the Spring Round-Up, the only pony missing.  We grieve for her.  She was a part of Legacy's herd, and her palomino pinto filly born last year was a buy back.  Jigsaw's Little Miss Skeeter (Skeeter) will be her lasting legacy.
   Back in 2015, the legendary stallion Surfer Dude passed away during the winter season.  The CVFC kept four of his foals as buy backs that summer.  Kelly's Raven Moon passed away due to a birth defect that appeared before his first birthday - but the three fillies born in 2015 are on Assateague - Surfer Princess, CLG Surfer's Blue Moon, and Surfer's Shining Star (aka Gingersnap). All half-siblings, Blue had her first foal last year.  Surfer Princess has a palomino pinto filly on 1 May, and, not to be out-done, Gingersnap had a palomino pinto with Prince on 3 May.  (Last year Blue had a black colt sired by Prince of Tides that was born on 25 May, and she appears to be pregnant this year, too.) I, personally, find it funny that the three half-sisters are in two herds - that are led by half-brothers - Tornado's Legacy and Tornado's Prince of Tides. The brothers are sons of Tornado, a buckskin pinto stallion and both were born in 2007. Legacy's dam is Unci, who was born with lordosis (but has NOT passed it on, genetically); and Prince's dam was Sand Cherry.
   So there are two foals to comment on - the first being Gingersnap and Prince's palomino pinto.  Gingersnap is avoiding areas where people can get near, so the sex of the baby is unknown, and the markings are not clear.  It looks like the foal has white shoulders on both sides.  When better photos become available, I'll share them.
 Yesterday's birth was almost an accidental death...  Surfin' Chantel, a six-year-old daughter of Rainbow Warrior and Surfin' Scarlet, went into labor on a narrow tongue of marsh while the tide was rising.  The foal was born, barely on the muddy land; but when the bay colt tried to stand, he fell back into the cold channel water and he couldn't get out.  Luckily, Captain Nate, with Daisy's Island Cruises had been passing by and had stopped to watch.  He stepped overboard, picked up the foal, and carried it onto dry land.  In the meantime, passengers aboard his boat had called 911, and the CVFC was notified. The boat passengers cheered when the colt found his mother's milk bag and had his first nurse, getting the needed colostrum and warmth.  Carlton Leonard of the CVFC Pony Committee arrived in a hurry (in his personal boat), made certain that the ponies were OK, and "shadowed" the mare and foal for over an hour to be certain there was no permanent harm.  The sire of this lucky bay colt is Maverick.
    Photos of the foals follow, along with up-dated and better photos of two others...

Foal # 23  -  Gingersnap and Prince, palomino pinto

Foal # 24  -  Surfin' Chantel and Maverick, bay colt

Poco Latte and Puzzle - when this foal loses it's baby hair,

it could be a sooty buckskin like it's mom, a mealy bay, or black

Checkers and Prince's chestnut