Pony Round-Up in Virginia Captures Hearts of Horse Lovers for 100 Years

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.– Volunteers with nonprofits throughout America typically bake sweet deals with, wash vehicles, or toss big-ticket galas to raise cash for their companies.

But the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company assemble money for operations in such a way so heart-tugging that it brings in 10s of countless viewers each year.

Their effort culminates in an auction of wild infant horses that raises adequate cash to spend for all of the fire training and devices required to safeguard the island neighborhood.

The foals that are offered originated from a herd of wild ponies on close-by, pristine Assateague Island. The herd gets helpful care throughout the year from fire business volunteers.

Just seeing the emotion-packed occasion– made well-known by a book series and film– is the satisfaction of a long-lasting dream, numerous informed Newzspy.

Thanks to the yearly pony sale, locals are never ever burdened a fire tax.

Fundraising With Horsepower

The custom of offering ponies to obtain pricey firefighting devices drew back in 1924. An instant success, it happened understood to residents as Pony Penning Week.

“There were some really, really bad fires on Chincoteague, and there were two of them within like two years,” stated Pankey Nelson, spokesperson for the Museum of Chincoteague Island.

“First, one blew out half of the town. The other one blew out the other half of the town. And it didn’t take long to realize that the fire company needed more equipment and more training than they were getting.”

Selling ponies as family pets offered the method.

Residents have actually avoided holding the occasion just two times– when throughout World War II and once again at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nelson stated.

In 2025, the neighborhood will commemorate for the 100th time. The centennial is set for July 26– Aug. 1.

The weeklong phenomenon, constantly held at the end of July, was made well-known around the world by author Marguerite Henry.

Henry went to the island at the advising of her publisher and fell for individuals, the seafaring culture, and the ponies.

While on her fact-finding exploration, she was directed to a regional horseman referred to as “Grandpa Beebe,” Nelson stated. Charmed, Henry purchased among Beebe’s young Chincoteague ponies and called her Misty.

That pony and Beebe’s young grandchildren influenced Henry to pen the acclaimed book, “Misty of Chincoteague.” The very first in a series, the 1947 tale triggered an around the world fan base.

Fourteen years later on, a film based upon the book was launched. It was recorded on the island and included simply 5 paid stars, Nelson stated.

The rest were Chincoteague locals simply living their Chincoteague way of life, which typically fixates the ponies. And their fan base swelled yet once again.

Fans to the Rescue

In among Henry’s books about the island, she explained how locals were required to leave ahead of an approaching storm. Before they left, the Beebes stowed pregnant Misty in a home with food and water and hoped she ‘d be safe.

Three days later on, as floodwaters declined, they went back to discover the pony succeeding, Nelson stated. Quickly after, Misty brought to life Stormy.

Henry informed the story in 1963 in another hit, “Stormy, Misty’s Foal.” And to assist the island neighborhood recuperate from the disastrous flood, Henry transported Misty and Stormy around the nation, raising cash for Chincoteague catastrophe relief, Nelson stated.

Over the years, the 100-acre Beebe cattle ranch was parceled off and provided to member of the family, Nelson stated, till just 10 acres stayed, consisting of your house where Misty was protected in the historical storm.

In 2023, a purchaser appeared, wanting to establish the last residues of the cattle ranch. Neighborhood members stressed. They felt it was too essential to lose, Nelson stated.

But, they questioned, how could they raise the $675,000 it would require to conserve the home from advancement?

“So we started raising money,” Nelson stated. “We put the word out. People thought we were crazy—like you’re never gonna be able to do this—but we said, ‘We have to try!’”

Within about a month, $100,000 had actually been raised. Contributions gathered from all over the nation and around the globe.

“We’d get a check for $5 and there would be tear stains on the paper where they were writing their story about how much they loved Misty or how much they loved the island,” Nelson stated. “Just so many touching, touching stories.”

Children sent out envelopes packed with coins they ‘d conserved doing tasks.

“I can’t tell you how many times things would randomly show up in the mail,” Nelson stated.

Many plans held a genuine description: “I made this. Sell it [to raise money] for the Beebe ranch.”

Eventually, there sufficed to strike an offer.

Now, the Beebe farm is being protected and become a museum.

Hoofbeats in Island History

Wild ponies have actually survived on surrounding Assateague Island for about 400 years. They swam ashore from damaged ships, Nelson stated.

Long back, volunteer firemens chose to handle the herd. They formed a band of “saltwater cowboys,” devoted to looking after the wild ponies year-round. It’s a custom that’s now passed from one generation to the next.

In 1943, the federal government protected the marshes, dunes, and forested locations on Assateague as a nationwide wildlife haven. When a crucial contract was created, that was.

Fire business volunteers might continue handling the herd of wild ponies, the agreement with the federal government stated. They had to hold the herd size to no more than 150 grownups.

The offer was managed, town old-timers state, by a Washington legislator who wished to make certain his descendants would constantly have the ability to see wild ponies there.

So the yearly sale of children continues to assist keep the herd size in check.

And going to the island to be part of the corresponding event has actually ended up being a trip of sorts for horse fans.

Pony Penning Week Traditions

On the Monday of Pony Penning Week, countless out-of-towners and residents collect before daybreak along the beach on Assateague Island.

There, as the sun peeps over the Atlantic Ocean, they see cowboys generate the herd throughout what’s referred to as the Beach Walk.

Surrounded by volunteers on horseback, mares, foals, and stallions amble along the water’s edge, then down a narrow marsh-lined roadway to a confine.

Joanne Rome of New Jersey has actually participated in the occasion for 33 years.

“My mom is in her 80s, and she read ‘Misty of Chincoteague’ when she was younger,“ Rome said. ” And then in 5th grade, my instructor had us checking out” the book.

Eventually, she convinced her mom to take her to see the ponies.

“We’ve been coming ever since.”

Now she owns a villa off Pony Swim Lane that permits her to see the ponies cross the narrow channel in between their wild home on Assateague Island to Chincoteague.

Since 1998, she’s purchased 8 “buybacks”– ponies picked to stay in the herd based upon genes and health to keep the herd strong.

Nelson belonged to 2 groups that purchased ponies in 2023.

“So I own an eyelash or two,” she stated with a chuckle.

Winning bidders have the honor of calling their buybacks before they’re launched back into the wild permanently.

The high-selling buyback in 2024 “sold” for $50,500.

Of Rome’s buybacks, a stallion called Chief and 4 mares still survive on the island.

She was at the beach before dawn to attempt to see them throughout the 2024 Beach Walk in July.

Chief emerged, strutting at the front of the group of horses, his slick golden coat shining in the very first light of day. It was a minute worth waiting an entire year to experience, she stated. She prepares to be back next year to attempt to see Chief and the mares once again.

Mane Event

Leaning versus the wood confine within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, visitors from around the nation swap stories about what brought them to the island.

“It’s kind of like a reunion,” states Suzanne D’Ambrose, who checks out from Neptune, New Jersey.

“We come to see the ponies; we actually know their names,” D’Ambrose stated. “And especially this time of year, everyone wants to see the foals.”

Like D’Ambrose, numerous visitors clutch manuals created by regional professional photographers. Equipped with electronic cameras and long lenses, the professional photographers trek miles every day on the lookout for newborn horses, wanting to assist record their birth dates and recognize their moms and dads.

Bands of mares normally reveal commitment to one stallion, so figuring out the dad constantly disappears than an informed guess.

Through the board fence, pony fans see foals nurse from the mares and nap in the sun.

They see them bury their muzzles into stacks of hay, nabbing mouthfuls greedily.

They hear the caution snorts of the herd’s 15 stallions, who vigilantly watch their bands. As leaders of their hareems of foals and mares, they ward off trespassers with ears laid flat, plainly interacting to each other, “Stay back!”

The next day, constantly on the Tuesday of Pony Penning Week, vets examine the confined ponies to figure out which are too old, too young, or too pregnant to swim to Chincoteague, which sits simply throughout a channel. “The Toos” as they’re called, are taken horse trailers to the neighborhood’s carnival premises.

What begins the Wednesday of Pony Penning Week is thought about the “mane event”– the pony swim from Assateague to Chincoteague.

Thousands collect along the marshy strip on the Chincoteague side of the channel in between the 2 islands.

In the narrow waterway, captains place their boats in a line perpendicular to the islands’ coasts. Surrounding boaters lash their vessels together, forming a floating barrier and prime seeing area.

Meanwhile, on Assateague, cowboys move the herd from the confine to the water’s edge.

The timing is important.

They go for the ponies to go into the water at the very first “slack tide.” It’s the best time since that’s when the moving water ends up being uncommonly still as the tide reverses instructions, Mayor John “Arthur” Leonard informed Newzspy.

Controlling the Chaos

Leonard purchases wild ponies and runs a reproducing operation. He likewise runs boat charters to take individuals to see Assateague Island and assist them find the ponies year-round.

He remembers simply one genuine emergency situation throughout the yearly pony swim.

It included the stallion Surfer Dude– famous for his charm, with a dark, liver chestnut coat, blonde hair and tail, and blue eyes.

Surfer Dude was swimming on the exterior of the bigger group of the herd, considering his 20 mares and their foals, when he was pressed by the existing into the anchor lines of boats.

As the knotted stallion had a hard time, Leonard jumped into the water and swam to the knocking animal. Evading effective, flailing hooves, he cut the lines, releasing the pony.

Most years, however, the swim goes off without a drawback, he stated.

On this day, his eyes take in all possible risks. Are boaters remaining where they should? And are cowboys moving the horses through the marsh to the coast on the Assateague side to be prepared for slack tide? Are the crowds of viewers securely behind barriers where the swimming ponies will rush ashore?

It’s part of his task to “control the chaos,” he states.

He assesses how Chincoteague culture has actually altered, from a seafaring economy to a town reliant on tourist.

“When I was growing up, if you did something on the south end of the island, your parents knew before you got back to the north end of the island. The phones worked!”

Most of society has actually altered, he stated. This custom stays mostly the same.

He anxiously starts to examine the time, grimacing at markers in the channel that reveal the tides.

The cowboys are late.

But there’s a factor: the current dry spell altered the minerals in the lawns where the herd grazes. As an outcome, a few of the pony mares have actually ended up being lacking in calcium. The beginning of hypocalcemia is abrupt and can be deadly.

Several pony mares have actually fallen ill, Leonard discovers in a call. And a cowboy’s horse has actually gotten slowed down in deep mud, needing rescue.

But the saltwater cowboys are proficient at dealing with issues as they develop.

He’s positive all will be well.

‘If They Can Walk, They Can Swim’

Leonard’s eyes scan the marsh on the Assateague side of the channel.

Then unexpectedly, the herd appears– a remarkable mass of primarily multi-colored ponies, sprinkled with white, brown, black, and gold.

At his signal, 2 Coast Guard vessels blast their horns and cross courses in the middle of the channel, shooting orange-red smoke from flares into the air.

It’s time.

As the mass of horseflesh approach the water, saltwater cowboys on horseback shout and fracture bullwhips above their heads motivating the herd forward. Guests on Leonard’s boat reveal issue.

The ponies swim every day throughout their life on the island, Leonard ensures them. Foals follow their mothers into the water within hours after they’re born.

“If they can walk, they can swim,” he states. “It’s their nature. They’re with their mothers. If their mother crosses the water, the foal’s going to go with her. They’re trained from the time they can walk to swim.”

A couple of leaders wade into the water. More follow. In minutes, all are swimming.

For about 6 tense minutes, the air crackles with drama.

Boaters moving along with the ponies yell, “Yah! Yah! Yah!” in an effort to keep the swimming horses relocating the best instructions to the Chincoteague coast.

Spectators cheer, numerous standing knee-deep in mud, and thousands more are enjoying on jumbo screens or from behind barriers at a waterside city park.

Ponies’ hooves churn under the surface area. Their heads poke above the water. Foals whinny to their moms.

The stallion Archer’s Gambit, understood to residents as Puzzle, blasts to the front, as he typically does throughout yearly swims.

In about 6 minutes, he reaches the coast initially, then regally turns to whinny support to the others.

The very first foal to the coast is crowned King Neptune or Queen Neptune. That infant horse will be the reward for the winning raffle ticket holder at the carnival that night.

The remainder of the children born in 2024 will be auctioned.

After resting for about an hour, they’re paraded down the streets of the town to corrals at the carnival premises. There, they chomp and rest hay.

A Lifelong Dream

On Thursday of Pony Penning Week, individuals flood into the carnival premises early to declare an area near the auction arena.

Strangers chatter about how simply existing has actually been a long-lasting dream.

And now, some admit, they want to take home their own wild Chincoteague pony, the main state pony of Virginia.

At 8 a.m., the very first infant pony is drawn out, resisting 2 handlers.

Bidding moves quick.

Adults, kids, and online bidders from all over the nation signal the cost they’re prepared to pay.

When the gavel falls, ringside winners typically break into pleased tears, and the crowd cheers.

Bidders who do not win typically shed not-so-happy tears.

Representing a group, Loree Solé had actually attempted frantically to protect the winning quote for a buyback pony to memorialize good friend, Sue Johnson. For several years, Johnson had actually run heaven Crab Treasures present store in Chincoteague. She passed away in 2021 after fighting ALS.

Hundreds of buddies have actually worked to raise cash to purchase a pony to go back to the wild herd, called in Sue’s honor.

On auction day this year, the group’s spending plan of $15,000 fell simply brief at every effort.

Hugs of alleviation were shared. Tears of dissatisfaction fell.

But by mid-September, Solé was concentrated on the objective once again.

“The journey continues,” she informed Newzspy. “I believe Sue was looking down and saying, ‘Wait until next year, the 100th anniversary of Pony Penning.’”

A Gift Horse

In the hopes of taking home her own Chincoteague pony, budding equestrian Aurora Menges of Callicoon, New York, used to The Feather Fund. That charitable company continues the work of Carollynn Suplee.

Then somebody explained 2 young sis who were squashed that the $500 they ‘d conserved wasn’t going to suffice to purchase a pony. At the very same time, a seagull wandered down in Suplee’s course.

Then she discovered among the ladies was using a t-shirt with a plume style.

Suplee made a spur-of-the-moment choice. She convinced their moms and dads to let her purchase a pony for the ladies.

“I’m meant to do this,” she stated, discussing what plumes had actually implied to her in her cancer journey.

After the purchase, they all understood the pony had one white marking on its brown body. The uncommon splotch of white hair formed the rugged shape of a plume.

That began a custom.

Suplee returned every year purchasing ponies to release or to send out home with kids who could not make that dream take place by themselves.

Eight years after she talented her very first pony to a kid, Suplee passed. The Feather Fund was developed to continue her generous acts.

It was the possibility of a Feather Fund present that offered Aurora hope of having her own Chincoteague pony.

Aurora had actually discovered to ride currently on an unique horse, Sahran.

The day after Christmas 2023, the cherished Arabian passed away. The household was sad.

“Sahran had such a kind heart,” Aurora’s mom, Nicole Menges, stated. “He taught Aurora everything she knows about natural horsemanship. He was her best teacher.”

But, Aurora, who is homeschooled, continued to study horses and their training. Her dream, she informed Feather Fund judges in her thoroughly printed essay, was to train her own Chincoteague pony.

She was pleased to be one of 2 ladies selected in 2024 to get the cash required to purchase a pony.

On auction day, Aurora waved a plume in the air in honor of Carollynn Suplee, as she bid on a liver chestnut colt with 3 white socks and an upside-down teardrop on his forehead.

“Going once! Going twice,” the auctioneer called.

Aurora’s heart pounded.

“Sold!”

Aurora burst into pleased tears. Dollar, called in honor of the well-known horseman Buck Brannaman, would be hers.

When asked what she had actually composed that had actually touched Feather Fund judges enough to be selected for such an unique present, Aurora might barely choke out the words.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she said., “I wrote that every pony deserves to be loved by a little girl once in its life.”