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Chincoteague pony
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Chincoteague pony
The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is an American feral herd on Assateague Island of Virginia and Maryland. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague novels, written by Marguerite Henry, and first published in 1947. Although popularly known as Chincoteague ponies, the feral ponies live on Assateague Island which is owned by the US government and is split by a fence at the Maryland–Virginia state line. A herd of around 150 ponies are maintained on the Virginia side of the fence, and 80 on the Maryland side.
The two herds are managed by separate agencies. The Maryland herd (referred to in the literature of the National Park Service as Assateague horses) live within Assateague Island National Seashore. They are generally treated as wild animals, given no more or less assistance than any other species on the island, other than contraceptive treatments to curb overpopulation. Conversely, the Virginia herd (referred to as Chincoteague ponies) live within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Virginia ponies are treated to twice-yearly veterinary inspections, which prepare them for life among the domestic equine population if they are sold at auction. While only around 300 feral ponies live on Assateague Island, around 1,000 more live off-island, having been purchased or bred by private owners.
In 2023, the Code of Virginia § 1-510 was amended to name the Chincoteague Pony breed as the designated pony of Virginia by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Chincoteagues average around 13.2 hands (54 inches, 137 cm) in their feral state, but grow to at least 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) when domesticated and provided better nutrition. They generally weigh around 850 pounds (390 kg). All solid colors are found in the breed, as are pinto patterns. Horses with pinto coloration tend to sell for the most money at the annual auction.
Island Chincoteagues live on a diet of salt marsh plants and brush. This poor-quality (and often seasonally-scarce) food source—combined with uncontrolled inbreeding—created a propensity for conformation faults in the Chincoteague; new bloodlines began to be introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to outside bloodlines being added to the Chincoteague herd, there is some variation in physical characteristics. In general, the breed tends to have a straight or slightly concave facial profile with a broad forehead and refined throatlatch and neck. The shoulders are well angled, the ribs well sprung, the chest broad and the back short with broad loins. The croup is rounded, with a thick, low-set tail. The breed's legs tend to be straight, with good, dense bone that makes them sound and sturdy.
Domesticated Chincoteagues are considered intelligent and willing to please. They are viewed as easy to train, and are used as hunter, driving, and trail ponies. In terms of health, they are generally hardy and easy keepers (able to live on little food). In the late 19th century, one author praised their "good manners and gentle disposition" while reporting the story of one pony who was ridden a distance of around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in 34 days by a man with equipment, a load that weighed around 160 pounds (73 kg)—the pony weighed approximately 500 pounds (230 kg).
Legend states that Chincoteague ponies descend from Spanish horses shipwrecked off the Virginia coast on their way to Peru in the 16th century. Another story holds that they descend from horses left on the island by pirates. Other evidence points to their ancestors actually being horses brought to the islands in the 17th century by mainland farmers. Livestock on the islands were not subject to taxes or fencing laws, and so many animals, including hogs, sheep, cattle and horses, were brought to the islands.
While the National Park Service holds to the theory that the horses were brought to the island in the 17th century, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns the ponies on the Virginia side of Assateague, argues that the Spanish shipwreck theory is correct. They argue that horses were too valuable in the 17th century to have been left to run wild on the island, and claim that there are two sunken Spanish galleons off the Virginia coast in support of their theory. The National Chincoteague Pony Association also promotes the shipwreck theory. In 2022, a DNA study of a 500-year-old Spanish horse tooth from Puerto Real, Vieques, Puerto Rico indicated that its closest genetic relative was the Chincoteague pony, supporting the theory that the ponies are descended from colonial Spanish bloodstock.
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Chincoteague pony
The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is an American feral herd on Assateague Island of Virginia and Maryland. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague novels, written by Marguerite Henry, and first published in 1947. Although popularly known as Chincoteague ponies, the feral ponies live on Assateague Island which is owned by the US government and is split by a fence at the Maryland–Virginia state line. A herd of around 150 ponies are maintained on the Virginia side of the fence, and 80 on the Maryland side.
The two herds are managed by separate agencies. The Maryland herd (referred to in the literature of the National Park Service as Assateague horses) live within Assateague Island National Seashore. They are generally treated as wild animals, given no more or less assistance than any other species on the island, other than contraceptive treatments to curb overpopulation. Conversely, the Virginia herd (referred to as Chincoteague ponies) live within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Virginia ponies are treated to twice-yearly veterinary inspections, which prepare them for life among the domestic equine population if they are sold at auction. While only around 300 feral ponies live on Assateague Island, around 1,000 more live off-island, having been purchased or bred by private owners.
In 2023, the Code of Virginia § 1-510 was amended to name the Chincoteague Pony breed as the designated pony of Virginia by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Chincoteagues average around 13.2 hands (54 inches, 137 cm) in their feral state, but grow to at least 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) when domesticated and provided better nutrition. They generally weigh around 850 pounds (390 kg). All solid colors are found in the breed, as are pinto patterns. Horses with pinto coloration tend to sell for the most money at the annual auction.
Island Chincoteagues live on a diet of salt marsh plants and brush. This poor-quality (and often seasonally-scarce) food source—combined with uncontrolled inbreeding—created a propensity for conformation faults in the Chincoteague; new bloodlines began to be introduced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to outside bloodlines being added to the Chincoteague herd, there is some variation in physical characteristics. In general, the breed tends to have a straight or slightly concave facial profile with a broad forehead and refined throatlatch and neck. The shoulders are well angled, the ribs well sprung, the chest broad and the back short with broad loins. The croup is rounded, with a thick, low-set tail. The breed's legs tend to be straight, with good, dense bone that makes them sound and sturdy.
Domesticated Chincoteagues are considered intelligent and willing to please. They are viewed as easy to train, and are used as hunter, driving, and trail ponies. In terms of health, they are generally hardy and easy keepers (able to live on little food). In the late 19th century, one author praised their "good manners and gentle disposition" while reporting the story of one pony who was ridden a distance of around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in 34 days by a man with equipment, a load that weighed around 160 pounds (73 kg)—the pony weighed approximately 500 pounds (230 kg).
Legend states that Chincoteague ponies descend from Spanish horses shipwrecked off the Virginia coast on their way to Peru in the 16th century. Another story holds that they descend from horses left on the island by pirates. Other evidence points to their ancestors actually being horses brought to the islands in the 17th century by mainland farmers. Livestock on the islands were not subject to taxes or fencing laws, and so many animals, including hogs, sheep, cattle and horses, were brought to the islands.
While the National Park Service holds to the theory that the horses were brought to the island in the 17th century, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns the ponies on the Virginia side of Assateague, argues that the Spanish shipwreck theory is correct. They argue that horses were too valuable in the 17th century to have been left to run wild on the island, and claim that there are two sunken Spanish galleons off the Virginia coast in support of their theory. The National Chincoteague Pony Association also promotes the shipwreck theory. In 2022, a DNA study of a 500-year-old Spanish horse tooth from Puerto Real, Vieques, Puerto Rico indicated that its closest genetic relative was the Chincoteague pony, supporting the theory that the ponies are descended from colonial Spanish bloodstock.
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