Yes! Ponies! Imagine taking in the sun at the beach or surf fishing or kayaking in the marshes and all of a sudden you realize there is a wild pony behind you casually munching on sea grass. It can happen, and it does daily on Assateague and Chincoteague Islands off of Virginia. If you have not heard about these world famous ponies, you may want to visit, as it is a unique experience of a life time.
It is not for certain how the ponies came to be on Assateague and Chincoteague. There are two top theories of which the first is more substantiated than the second. The first is that the ponies may have been survivors of a shipwrecked Spanish galleon on Assateague. The second thought is that the wild pony population may be the result of early settlers letting their ponies out to roam and forage free from time to time. Escapees or those never to return to their kept conditions may have been the first of the Assateague and Chincoteague ponies. Nonetheless, the ponies have been on both Islands for hundreds and hundreds of years.
If you have or will visit these two islands, you will see ponies. I have every time (four times total now over a span of 20 years) simply when partaking in other seaside and beach activities. There are hundreds of ponies! If you like, you can combine a couple of activities for extra adventure and fun. For example, you may rent a charter boat where the captain will take you around on a pony exploration. This is a great option, because not only do you experience the beauty of the water, coastline and ponies, it is likely that you will also see dolphins and porpoises.
Lastly, please note that the ponies will seem “tame.” They are generally very gentle and even seem to like people. While they are friendly and not afraid of thatpeople, they are wild horses. Therefore, it is required that you do not feed or pet the ponies.
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image credits:
- photo by Amy English titled “Herd at Sunrise” of ponies on Assateague – used with permission via creative commons
- photo by melaniekaren of pony on Chincoteague Island
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