The  Ponies of Chincoteague and Pony Penning

Click on the year below for Pony Penning  Pictures

Solid Rock Photography

Chincoteague Pony Centre

Pony Penning Shuttle
Click here for a map of the shuttle (Opens in new browser window)
General Information

Buses will begin operation at 5:00 AM from Chincoteague High School on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, only. This service is free. Volunteer Guides are available on the buses to assist you. Other Pony Shuttle volunteers will be available at various locations to assist you. Click here to view the shuttle-bus map in a separate window.

Please be prepared for hot and humid conditions at the swim site. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and insect repellant.

There will be NO PARKING at Memorial Park. Only handicapped-tagged vehicles will be allowed access to park. Very Limited parking. Day visitors should use Chincoteague High School. There is no parking at other pick-up points.

There will be one bus equipped for handicapped. To use the handicapped bus, the public must go to the High School. Please see a Pony Shuttle Volunteer for assistance.

Immediately after the swim, two lines will form in the front of Memorial Park (where you will be dropped off for the swim). One line is for transportation to the Carnival (where the ponies are going), and one line is for transportation to the High School. All buses (except blue) will go to the High School after the swim. Transfers to another color-coded bus may be made at the High School. Immediately after the swim, there will be several express buses to the Carnival Grounds. These express buses will be marked with a blue dot. These buses will load at the front of Memorial Park and go STRAIGHT to the Carnival Grounds. All other buses will go to the High School, then to other stops. Buses will return to Memorial Park to re-load until the swim area is cleared.

Travel will be extremely heavy in the Carnival Ground area after the swim. Parking will be limited in this area, so if you want to go to the Carnival after the swim, please take the appropriate bus. Please be patient after the swim! In several hours before the swim we transport thousands. We cannot accommodate thousands immediately after the swim. There will be no buses loading behind the Carnival Grounds until the swim site is emptied. If you go to the Carnival after the swim, plan to stay there and enjoy for a while. Food, beverages, rides and games are available. Also, a close-up view of the ponies. It is recommended that you walk from the swim site to the Carnival after the swim. The distance is approximately 1/2 mile. A long line usually forms behind the Carnival immediately after the ponies arrive at the Carnival. You must get to the end of the line and work toward the buses. If the line is long, enjoy some popcorn or a cool soda, then check the line again. The line moves quickly as buses become available. After the swim area is cleared, there will be no further stops at Memorial Park. Buses will be available behind the Carnival Grounds on Willow Street.

The last bus leaving from behind the carnival grounds on Willow Street will be announced at the Carnival "information stand" at Approximately 2 PM, depending on actual swim time. Please listen for "LAST CALL" on the Carnival P.A. Systems, not the bingo stand or other stands' systems. Buses will run on WEDNESDAY ONLY. The public is asked not to carry large coolers or large umbrellas on the buses. They should only bring what will fit in their lap.

(Text from Town of Chincoteague web site.)

Auction Information
Eighty five ponies were auctioned off Thursday, July 27th ,2001. the average selling price was about $2000. One horse went for $10,500. The Chincoteague Fire Department made more than $166,000 from the auction. The auction helps keep the herd size to about 150 horses. That is the maximum number that the government says can be supported on the grazing lands in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague. Click here for Auction pictures

.  The auction starts at 8:00AM sharp, get there early to get a good seat (6:30 to7:00AM).
   Be sure to bring sun protection and water, soda and water is sold at the event. A folding chair is good to have if you get there late.

Two herds of wild horses make their home on Assateague Island, separated by a fence at the Maryland-Virginia line, and they are often seen wandering the beaches, roadways, trails and campgrounds on the island. These small but sturdy, shaggy horses have adapted to their environment over the years by eating dune and marsh grasses and drinking fresh water from ponds. While they appear tame, they are wild, and Park Rangers urge visitors not to feed or pet them. The Maryland herd is managed by the National Park Service. The Virginia herd is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and allowed by permit to graze on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Each year the Virginia herd is rounded up for the internationally recognized Pony Penning and Auction.

According to romantic legend, the horses arrived on Assateague when a Spanish galleon with a cargo of wild mustangs sunk off the coast. The surviving animals swam to shore and are the ancestors of today's herds. Unfortunately, the horses (affectionately called ponies because of their slightly stunted size) have a more practical origin. Most likely they are descendants of herds turned loose by early settlers. The island provided a perfect grazing land with naturally "fenced" boundaries. By the late 1600's the island supported horses, cattle, sheep and hogs.

Penning began as a way for livestock owners to claim, brand, break and harness their loose herds. By the 1700's it had become an annual event, complete with drinking, eating and plenty of revelry by the entire community. The earliest known description of Pony Penning was published in 1835. The practice was then already an "ancient" custom held in June on Assateague Island. Penning on Chincoteague Island is not mentioned until the mid-1800's, and it believed to have been begun by two islanders who owned large herds that grazed on Chincoteague.

The penning continued on both islands for years. By 1885 they were held on Assateague one day and Chincoteague the next. Assateague also had a Sheep Penning, which is believed to be a custom even older than the others. Word of the events began to spread, and hotels and boarding houses were booked for the festivities. In 1909, the last Wednesday and Thursday of July were set as the official dates for the yearly events. As Pony Penning increased in popularity, Assateague's Sheep Penning wound down and was discontinued by 1914.

The most renowned aspect of Pony Penning, the swim across the Assateague Channel, dates from the early 1920's. Samuel Fields acquired much of the southern end of Assateague and restricted the villagers' access to oyster-rich Tom's Cove, causing most of the villagers to move to Chincoteague. The restrictions also affected the island's penning. In 1923 the event also moved to Chincoteague with one penning for both islands. The herds were at first transferred by boat, but in 1925 they were swum across the channel and Pony Penning's "modern" era began.

After a string of disastrous fires in the Town of Chincoteague, the villagers realized their fire fighting equipment was seriously inadequate. In 1925 the town authorized the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to hold a carnival during Pony Penning to raise funds. That year over 15 colts were sold to benefit the fire company, and the carnival was a huge success. Bolstered by the interest in the pony swim, visitors began arriving from across the country for the annual penning. The crowd in 1937 was estimated at 25,000. The increased revenue from the carnivals and auctions enabled the fire company to modernize its equipment and facilities, and in 1947 it began to build its own herd by purchasing ponies from local owners. They moved the herd to Assateague where the government allowed publicly owned, not private, herds to graze on the newly established Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

That same year, 1947, Marguerite Henry published "Misty of Chincoteague," the story that made Pony Penning internationally famous. A movie followed, as did several sequel books. The tale of the wild pony Phantom, her foal Misty and the children who buy and raise her has become a classic, still loved and enjoyed by each new generation.

 Pony Penning is still held in July during the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival. "Salt Water Cowboys" herd the horses across the narrowest part of Assateague Channel at low tide, after which they are examined by veterinarians. After a resting period, they are herded through town to a corral at the Carnival Grounds where they stay until the next day's auction. The Pony Auction not only provides a source of revenue for the fire company, but it also serves to trim the herd's numbers. To retain the permit to graze on the refuge, the herd must not exceed 150 horses.

Each year thousands of people flock to Chincoteague Island to watch the Pony Penning and enjoy the Firemen's Carnival. For many of them, the trek to the shores of Assateague Channel on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July has become an annual event, an opportunity to participate in a tradition older than the country itself.

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The Feather Fund is a non-profit organization whose mission is to continue the work begun by Carollynn Suplee to assist deserving children with the purchase and attendant costs associated with the acquisition of Chincoteague ponies, with the goal of helping each child learn about responsibility, care, love, work ethic, as well as the concept of "giving back to others" through the care and training of his or her animal. Additionally, the fund may provide financial support to related causes as determined by the advisory committee.

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