The ponies of Chincoteague have been around for approximately 300 years.  Rumors speculate that the ponies originally swam ashore from a Spanish ship that had run aground, while another story has it that they came from a wrecked ship that had been on its way to the English colonies. A third claims that pirates brought the ponies to the island.  No matter how this beautiful breed came about, these sturdy ponies have won the hearts of many. 

Chincoteague Ponies are wild ponies that reside on a National Wildlife Refuge called Assateague Island.  The island is divided by a fence at the Maryland-Virginia boarder which separates the two herds of wild ponies each herd consisting of approximately 120-150 ponies.  The ponies roam free on the island often times being spotted on the beach, on a bike trail, or down the main roadway.  The ponies thrive on the island by drinking fresh water from shallow ponds and eating the marsh grasses.   The Maryland herd is managed by the National Parks Service.  The Virginia herd is owned and maintained by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.  Each year on the last Wednesday in July, the Virginia herd is rounded up and escorted by the Chincoteague cowboys to the beach.  The herd consisting of yearlings, foals, mares and stallions that swim the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague, then after a short rest, the Saltwater Cowboys herd them down Main Street to the carnival grounds. On Thursday, the foals and yearlings are auctioned off and those that are not sold along with the adult ponies will swim back to Assateague on Friday morning. While pony penning on the islands can be traced back to the 17th century, the modern version was organized in 1924 by the fire company as a fundraiser for more adequate fire equipment after multiple disastrous fires swept through the town of Chincoteague.  The fund raising carnival and “Pony Penning” was a huge success each year and began attracting more and more visitors from across the country, with one visitor in particular, Marguerite Henry.

In 1947, a book written by Marguerite Henry called "Misty of Chincoteague" was published that ignited the dreams of many young children.  The fiction book tells the story of two young Chincoteague children and their quest to buy and raise a wild pony of their own.  In this book, the characters of Maureen and Paul Beebe, the Phantom, and her foal Misty come alive as the tale of Pony Penning and the auction is played out.  The book became an international success and a movie and two sequel books followed.  The book "Misty of Chincoteague" is a Newberry Award winning book and is still published to this day.  

Pony Penning and the carnival are still held during the last week of July each year and are visited by thousands of people.  The ponies auctioned off and owned by the Fire Company are typically pintos, with some solids, and buckskins.  They range in size from 12.5 to 14.5 hands.  The Chincoteague Pony is very hardy, low maintenance, hugely diversified pony that has a willing spirit.  They can do anything that your imagination can dream up.  The Chincoteague Pony had been a qualifying participant in State 4-H competitions in all disciplines for multiple years.  The Chincoteague Pony is really a true all around pony!!!  

 Chincoteague Ponies of Texas, Lisa Christian, 214-707-5225