Chincoteague Island Wild Pony Swim

Chincoteague Island, a small resort island off the coast of the Eastern Shore of Virginia is electric with excitement every year during the last week of July. This is when the annual penning of the Chincoteague Wild Ponies takes place and is followed by the annual Pony Swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. This rounding up of the wild ponies culminates in the auctioning of some of the herd .

The Chincoteague wild pony herd is comprised of about 150 ponies who are quite accustomed to this annual ritual. The ponies are rounded up by the illustrious Salt Water Cowboys an elite team of specialists who then swim the ponies nearly four hundred yards from Assateague Island, their main residence, to the Firemen’s Carnival grounds where the auction will be held. The ponies seem to take it all " in stride", but the nearly 50,000 witnesses to the spectacle can scarcely contain their enthusiasm.

This annual ritual has been taking place since 1925 and has been going strong ever since. The initial intent which still holds , was to raise funds for the Chincoteague Island Fire Department. A string of disastrous fires nearly decimated Chincoteagues’ Business District, and the fire department was badly in need of proper equipment. The first year, 15 pony foals were sold and the rest, as they say, is history.

From 1925 to 1947, the Chincoteague Pony Swim remained a secret closely held by the local community. However, as secrets tend to leak, word gradually spread to what local’s refer to as the mainland and is otherwise known the Eastern Shore of Virginia. As word got out, the annual crowds of visitors began to grow. Then came the publication of Marguerite Henry’s classic children’s book Misty of Chincoteague and the entire event expanded beyond the limits of anyone’s imagination.

It was in 1947 that the Chincoteague Fire Department took ownership and assumed responsibility for the care of the ponies’ well-being, and they continue to this day. The caretakers make certain that only adults and foals who are healthy and strong enough to make the trek do so and they are under the strict supervision of a veterinarian and the able hands of the Salt Water Cowboys.

The Annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim is central to nearly every activity on the island and is certainly the heart beat of its’ tourist industry. The Chincoteague Island Pony Swim is something every family should experience at least once in a lifetime for an unforgettable memory. For more information about Chincoteague Island, please visit http://www.chincoteagueislandvacations.com