For First Time Buyers of a Chincoteague Pony...

Were I on the islands, today, I would have been at the holding pens at dawn watching the foals and deciding which one I wanted to buy.  I'd be looking at the size of their parents, and deciding whether or not the foal would grow to be a good size for what I need.  I'd also be looking at how the foal interacted with others in its band - the other mares and foals, and the stallion.  I really wouldn't care whether it was a filly or a colt - as long as it has a good disposition and good confirmation.  Foals that are solid colors - bays and chestnuts - usually sell for less than the palominos and buckskins; and generally much less than a "pretty marked" paint.  Of course, if I fell for a good-looking paint or buckskin, that's what I'd want to purchase.  
   Here are a few things first time buyers and owners should know/realize when they purchase their wild Chincoteague pony:
    The foal is not used to being around people; it will be very frightened.
    The foal will be taken away from it's mother, and the only comfort it has known, by you.
    If the foal has not yet shed its' baby coat, it might turn out to be a different color than you thought it was; and pony coat colors can vary a lot with the seasons - both in color and in coat lengths.
     The foal hasn't had the new type of food you'll be feeding it - ever. Feed small amounts, with plenty of water.
     Handle you new foal for at least an hour every day.  Start teaching it to lead in a halter the day you make the purchase.  Get the foal used to you placing your hands on every part of its body while it's still a youngster. 
     Teach your foal manners from day number one.  While the foal is less than a year old, remember that it's concentration and attention span is like that of a human child under the age of 5 years.  Being restless and playful is normal - biting or kicking is not.
     If you purchase a male foal, unless you are a knowledgeable horseman, plan on having the colt gelded as soon as both of  his testicles descend.  This should be done by a licensed veterinarian only.
    If you purchase a Chincoteague Pony at the auction on Thursday, be certain that you get all of your paperwork after you pay.  Know that you can not take a pony home in the backseat of your car, station wagon, van or SUV.  Ponies must leave the grounds in an approved livestock or horse trailer only - and you generally have to pay by the mile to have your new pony delivered.
     Horses and ponies need daily care - that is something that most children and parents forget.  They need to be fed and watered daily. They need to be brushed and combed. Their feet need to be cleaned daily.  They need exercise and they need company.  The blacksmith needs to trim their hooves every 5 to 8 weeks; there are semi-annual and annual inoculations and vaccinations
    And, one of the most important things to remember is that your horse or pony can not throw up and feel better like a human can. What goes in a horses stomach must come out through his rectum or his urinary tract.  If your pony keeps looking at its sides, looks distressed, starts to sweat, and wants to start rolling from side to side - keep it walking and have the veterinarian make an emergency call.  Colic kills a lot of ponies and horses.
  Owning and caring for a horse or pony is a lot of work - but your mount will appreciate you, love you, and respect you.  Having an equine best friend is one of the happiest things in a life time.

Ponies on the Beach

View of the 2009 Beach Walk on Assateague Island

2011 - Some foals don't want to stay with the crowd...

Heading into the Holding Pens at Tom's Cove

Stallions are not fond of the tight quarters in the Holding Pens, which leads to a few confrontations



Dawn Beach Walk on Assateague Island

Early this morning, the Saltwater Cowboys of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company trailered their mounts to Assateague's north end.  As the sun rose, the herds of Chincoteague ponies were released from the northern holding pens, and they were herded onto Assateague Island beach, to move down the surf-line until they reached Tom's Cove.  Then they were moved onto the Beach Road, and guided to the wooden Holding Pens at the Cove.  If the weather is nice, there are usually thousands of people on hand to watch the Beach Walk - seeing the stallions, mares and foals travel south on the beach, with the ocean as a barrier on their left and the Saltwater Cowboys on their right. For me, it's one of the highlights of Pony Penning.  Today, any strays still wandering loose will be herded in by the cowboys - and every pony will be looked over by a veterinarian, as well as the representatives of the National Chincoteague Pony Association, to certify sire and dam for the foals. More than likely, Maureen Beebe will be at the Holding Pens sometime this evening, or tomorrow evening, to look over this year's foals...  I miss talking to Maureen.  I also miss talking to Walt Clark.
The Daily Times, the local Salisbury newspaper, has posted a photo gallery of the Saltwater Cowboys and the ponies taken over the weekend.  The photos may be viewed at:
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A7&Dato=201207&Kategori=ESN&Lopenr=207230801&Ref=PH    -  then click on the Pony Round Up thumbnail photo....
  My kits are fine; Rosie, Remy, Boo and Mona are fine.  The Thore menagerie is fine, as are Tugger and Sasquatch.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Ramsah.  She had a short spell of shallow breathing, during which we took her to the vet.  She passed away within 20 minutes.  She is buried near her adopted brother, Indie, by a pond and with a great view of cat-tails and wild ducks.
   

Equestrian Olympics at Greenwich Park

A cross-country jump at Greenwich Park - it looks almost as if you're jumping into Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs

View of the dressage and stadium jumping arena at Greenwich Park

Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs - across the River Thames is Greenwich Park

A map of the 2012 Olympic Venues - you should be able to right-click on the image and get a much larger and clearer view

Hot - Just Plain Hot

It is just plain hot here.  If I were still living in Florida or Virginia, I'd really laugh at that statement; but I've become accustomed to the dry weather here over the past 8 years, and right now, it's 75 degrees with 38% humidity outside, and I am sweating like stink!  Yuck.  I've taken care of Sasquatch and Tugger, and have fed the Thore critters and walked Tessa.  My patio door is open, but Lovey is sprawled out in the sling chair, and Nedi is lying on the tile floor.  I have both of my fans running on medium speed.  Believe me, I do know that it is much warmer at my favorite places in Florida and Virginia, and on days like this in Boulder I wonder how I survived the heat and humidity of the east coast.
  Chincoteague ponies are being rounded up as I blog, and the US Equestrian team is getting settled in England.  I want to be in both places.  I want to be at Tom's Cove on Assateague in the heat and humidity, wearing a thick coating of Deep Woods Off!, and leaning against the Holding Pens wooden fence, with my camera and a huge bottle of cold water.  I also want to be in London - more specifically, Greenwich - so I could wander about and see the layout of the equestrian competitions.  I want to look at the arenas where the Dressage and Stadium Jumping will be held, and I'd love to be able to walk the entire Cross-Country course for the Three Day Eventing test.  (I'm also interested in the Track and Field, Swimming and Diving competitions - but the critters always take first place in my attention.) 
   Today, I'll be rooting for Tiger Woods in his golf tournament, and I'll be thinking about the folks who have displays at the Boulder Summer Arts Festival - but I plan on staying inside, until I go take care of the Clark boys again tonight.
   I hope you have a calm and peaceful Sunday.

My Favorite Island Photos

The following photos are my favorite, most evocative shots of the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague, and the waters surrounding them:

Dawn on Assateague Island Beach

Assateague Channel

Chincoteague Island marsh

Chincoteague pony on Assateague beach

Assateague Island Lighthouse

Full moon and a flight of geese over the Assateague Island Lighthouse

Media Overkill (I Hate That Last Word)

The shooting rampage at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado is news.  It is big news - locally, nationally, and world-wide.  I understand that it is the largest shooting incident in our history, other than in a battle of war.  I understand that there are "news junkies" who are interested in every last detail that can be openly presented about the time, the place, the victims, the survivors, and the perpetrator.  But having around-the-clock live coverage on all of the local TV channels is just over-kill, in my opinion.  I am lucky, in that I have a satellite dish, and I can watch movie channels and documentary channels - but if you have only an antenna here in Colorado, you only receive local channels and one or two PBS stations.  On the local channels, all I could find last night was news about the Batman movie shootings.  It was horrific; it was terribly sad; it was/is an inexplicable loss of innocent life.  But I feel that we need to move on, instead of wallowing in the aftermath.  I hope that our local stations will return to their normal programming soon - for the young kids, if for no one else!