I wrote this article after an appointment as a seasonal ranger at Assateague Island National Seashore in 1988. it appeared in Cappers (Topeka, Kansas). The photo above shows the setting, but not the horses.
Picture wild horses charging down a sandy beach on a remote island. Suddenly, they stop near a patch of grass and an older mare takes up her station in the lead. Meanwhile, the stallion takes his position in the rear of the group. As the herd begins to graze; a young foal steps to its mother’s side for a drink of warm milk. As the small herd of horses goes about its business, ocean waves crash just a few feet away.
Such a scene is not just imagination, for these are the feral horses – feral is the word for a domestic animal that returns to the wild – of Assateague Island. A herd of 150 grace the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of Assateague Island.
This wildlife refuge lies on the Atlantic flyway, the easternmost route for North America’s migratory birds. It was established for the snow geese in 1943.
When land is set aside for one species, many others benefit. One which benefits from the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is the wild pony. Their range is preserved forever as part of the refuge.
This arrangement also benefits the fire department of nearby Chincoteague Island, for they are the owners of those horses which graze on the refuge under special permit. The horses are better known as Chincoteague ponies, although their status as ponies or horses has been debated.
Each year, during the final week of July, the firemen don cowboy clothing and round up their ponies. The roundup takes place on Monday and Tuesday, and the animals are corralled on the island. On Wednesday, they swim across a strait to neighboring Chincoteague Island.
Thousands of people come each year to see the pony swim and the Thursday Auction. The foals are sold to many buyers anxious to add the sturdy animals to their herds. Generations of life on the wind-swept island have made the ponies hardy and they pass on their hardiness.
On Friday, the adult ponies and any unsold foals swim back to Assateague Island. Enough foals are returned each year to maintain the herd, and some horses are added from time to time to keep the herd strong and diverse.
Picture wild horses charging down a sandy beach on a remote island. Suddenly, they stop near a patch of grass and an older mare takes up her station in the lead. Meanwhile, the stallion takes his position in the rear of the group. As the herd begins to graze; a young foal steps to its mother’s side for a drink of warm milk. As the small herd of horses goes about its business, ocean waves crash just a few feet away.
Such a scene is not just imagination, for these are the feral horses – feral is the word for a domestic animal that returns to the wild – of Assateague Island. A herd of 150 grace the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, located at the south end of Assateague Island.
This wildlife refuge lies on the Atlantic flyway, the easternmost route for North America’s migratory birds. It was established for the snow geese in 1943.
When land is set aside for one species, many others benefit. One which benefits from the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is the wild pony. Their range is preserved forever as part of the refuge.
This arrangement also benefits the fire department of nearby Chincoteague Island, for they are the owners of those horses which graze on the refuge under special permit. The horses are better known as Chincoteague ponies, although their status as ponies or horses has been debated.
Each year, during the final week of July, the firemen don cowboy clothing and round up their ponies. The roundup takes place on Monday and Tuesday, and the animals are corralled on the island. On Wednesday, they swim across a strait to neighboring Chincoteague Island.
Thousands of people come each year to see the pony swim and the Thursday Auction. The foals are sold to many buyers anxious to add the sturdy animals to their herds. Generations of life on the wind-swept island have made the ponies hardy and they pass on their hardiness.
On Friday, the adult ponies and any unsold foals swim back to Assateague Island. Enough foals are returned each year to maintain the herd, and some horses are added from time to time to keep the herd strong and diverse.
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