Chincoteague Ponies
Who doesn’t visit Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and not want to see the Chincoteague Ponies? I assume this is every little girls dream to see these horses Ponies!! I have never read any of the Misty books but they sure have impacted many people’s lives when they were kids. I feel that I must have missed something after visiting this amazing place!
The Pony from Friday!
I had wondered how the ponies arrived on the islands and then read in the brochure; ”Legend tells of the ponies that escaped a shipwrecked Spanish galleon and swam ashore. However, most historians believe that settlers used the island for grazing livestock in the 17th Century to avoid fencing regulations and taxation”. Below is a 1:45 minute video that I captured that reminds me of how the ponies would have survived on the island in the 17th century, just as they still do today.
I was happy finding the first Pony on the side of the road once I arrived at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (the one from the video). This pony allowed me to capture this video and a few pictures before moving ahead looking for more birdies! I anticipated finding many more Ponies as easily as the first one was found but nothing showed up again until late Saturday after the fog rolled in.
Ponies in the fog
Pony and Goose in the fog!
Pony in the fog!
Pony and Great Egret!
This was such an amazing experience and a trip that I will never forget! Just be careful where you step!!!
Pony Scat that was everywhere!
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21 Comments
5 April 2009 at 12:27 pm
Oh how wonderful! I told you the books were a girl thang LOL
5 April 2009 at 2:03 pm
Thank you so much! I was one of those little girls whose lifelong dream has not come true yet. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of birds there. I definitely want to go there now.
5 April 2009 at 3:37 pm
Gorgeous pony shots even in the fog. The video was fun to see. I wonder what it heard to make it pause eating for some time? It was sure interested in whatever it was. Such a thick coat. I am sure it needs it during those long cold winters. Thanks so much for creating this pony post.
5 April 2009 at 7:31 pm
Thank you! Someday I will get out there to see the ponies. That last one is a heavily pregnant mare. She is a gorgeous color! I wonder what her foal will look like.
5 April 2009 at 8:25 pm
That pony looked so content out there grazing. I never read the Misty series, just all of Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series. The fog gives a really neat look to the island.
5 April 2009 at 9:39 pm
Hey Tom,
Duh me I finally looked up where you were. OMG you were just down the road from my son. Well not exactly but he lives in Delaware in Laurel which is on the Delaware/ Maryland border.
I’ll have to ask him how far he is from this reserve.
No wonder you were loving this place! That whole DelMarVa peninsula is beautiful. And yes the birds and waterfowl are big there. Don and I try to make it to the Waterfowl Festival every other year on the eastern shore. that Chesapeake bay area is awesome.
5 April 2009 at 10:12 pm
Watch where you are walking is right! LOL! I was nearby last weekend, Tom. The misty rain and fog – terrible and I thought of you. But, you always find a way to deliver the best photos.
5 April 2009 at 11:32 pm
great post. i loved all the pony pictures.
i did read the misty series as a child and loved them.
nita
6 April 2009 at 6:28 am
They certainly look healthy, so there must be plenty to eat. How cool that they still roam wild there. :c) And, for the record, I never read any of the Misty books.
6 April 2009 at 7:14 am
I was hoping to see the ponies! Memories – I was there at the July round up when my kids were young – one word – MOSQUITOES!!! Haha. You picked a good time to visit. My kids loved the series of books that started off with ‘Misty of Chincoteague’ – your pictures of the ponies in the mist are really neat! And the movie is very cool!
6 April 2009 at 8:33 am
That scat looks just like the donkey scat we have on our land. I definitely need to visit Chincoteague (in the spring or fall!).
6 April 2009 at 1:19 pm
What a peaceful video, that was great!
6 April 2009 at 3:44 pm
Yeah for ponies!! I love all the pics, except the last one.
6 April 2009 at 5:03 pm
So are they truly “wild” ponies? No one comes out and brings them hay or pellets, they just live off the land?
They’re really pretty colors too.
6 April 2009 at 5:57 pm
Something so sweet & wild at the same time about ponies. Enjoyed these photos!
6 April 2009 at 6:17 pm
Chincoteague Wild Ponies! + Birds! = Good Times!
6 April 2009 at 9:09 pm
Wonderful photos of the ponies and the birds together in the fog.
7 April 2009 at 6:33 am
Oh this is amazing to me. It was my dream as a little girl and I still want to come here. I read all the Misty books but didn’t see the movie until I was grown and had kids of my own. Thank you for a little glimpse of a place that seems to be pure magic to me! I feel as if I’ve just walked in your dreams!
7 April 2009 at 1:33 pm
We were so excited to see this post. Awesome photos, and the video let us get a feel for how it might have felt to be so close to these animals. We immediately found ourselves wondering how the population is kept stable on an island with no predators — in ‘Misty’, there was a round-up and auction, and a little research informed us that that tradition is still being played out! Using this method, they apparently keep the population to around 150 animals, preventing them from overgrazing the island. On nearby Assateague Island, where there are also ponies, they’re using birth control.
Thanks for this great post — what an amazing adventure you had out there — the posts just keep coming, with new sightings each time!
8 April 2009 at 9:12 pm
@ Marg – sweet and yes very girly thing! LOL
@ Gayle – So glad you enjoyed this and thanks for your kind words!
@ Lisa – thanks and I never did figure out what it was looking at! A bunch of birds were out there . . . maybe this pony is a birdwatcher?
@ Ang – I sure do hope you can see them! I bet it will look cute!
@ Linda – It was very content! Thanks
@ Toni – Your kidding! Next time you head out there . . . be sure to visit this place! It is amazing! Sounds like a fun place to have a son!
@ Mary – would have loved to cross paths!
@ Red Tin Heart – Thanks and glad you enjoyed!
@ Jayne – they must have plenty . . it was cool seeing them!
@ Bird Girl – Glad I didn’t have any Mosquitoes . . that’s for sure!
@ Joan – you do need to visit . . that’s for sure!
@ Chris – thanks
@ Sarah – lol . . watch your step!
@ Ruthie – live off the land!
@ Shelley – thanks and glad you enjoyed!
@ Patty – LOL <3
@ NCmountain – thanks
@ Kathiesbirds – Glad you enjoyed and you had a chance to see these guys through my pictures! One day you will get there!
@ Kenton and Rebecca – so glad and it was great seeing them up close! I think they still do the round-up from what I heard! They are property of the volunteer fire department I guess! So glad you enjoyed!
13 April 2009 at 1:48 pm
Didn’t realize the ponies came in so many colors. Some are really pretty.