Remember Marguerite Henry’s beloved book “Misty of Chincoteague”? Those wild ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague made famous by the book may be in danger of losing their home. A recent Associated Press news story reported that the presence of the horses on Assateague Island threatens the environment because there are too many horses for the island to sustain itself, according to the Associated Press.
The horses eat grasses that are essential to the island’s landscape, such as those that maintain the sand dune structure, thereby preventing flooding, according to Jack Kumer, the wildlife specialist at Assateague Island National Seashore.
Though the population is controlled by use of contraceptives, the population continues to grow.
The National Park Service is soliciting input from the public before deciding the course of action. Kumer suggested one option would be the removal of horses from the island to a sanctuary. He noted that in the event that removal was the decision, he hoped to keep the equine family groups together, and that the horses may be able to be returned to the island within a two-year or shorter time frame.
Popularly known as the Chincoteague or Assateague ponies, these horses live on Assateague Island, which is divided between state ownership with Maryland and Virginia. According to the National Park Service, the horses live in two main herds, one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of Assateague, which are separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd while the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company manages the Virginia herd. The Virginia herd is often referred to as the Chincoteague ponies.
The island’s horses are feral descendants of domestic horses. It is thought that they descended from domestic horses that were moved to Assateague in the late 17th century by farmers who could avoid fencing and livestock taxation laws by moving the horses off the mainland.
“Misty of Chincoteague” was a fictional story based on a real Assateague pony named Misty (and her foal Stormy). The book’s main story describes the yearly Chincoteague Pony Penning roundup, which is on the last Wednesday in July, when the Virginia herd of horses is rounded up and swum from Assateague Island to Chincoteage Island. The event occurs during “slack tide” when the water is at its calmest and the tide is neither coming in nor going out. On the next day, foals old enough to be separated are auctioned off and stallions, mares and younger foals swim back to Assateague. Pony penning began in 1927, and the highest bid for a pony foal was $10,500 in 2001 for a black and white filly. Proceeds from the auction support the fire house as well as the maintenance of the wild ponies. According to the National Chincoteague Pony Association, there are about 1980 privately owned Chincoteague ponies across the Untied States and Canada.
