This thirty-seven-mile-long natural barrier island lies off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Indians who first discovered this beautiful barrier island called it Assateague, which means “place across.”
For a few days in July, the tiny island of Chincoteague, Va. plays host to thousands of visitors, who line the banks of a narrow channel to watch the annual drama of the Pony Swim.
The swim and auction, held each year on the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, are run by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns the herd of about 150 horses that live on the Virginia-side island of Assateague. The Firemen’s Carnival also runs throughout July. The Maryland herd is owned by the National Park Service.
With a history dating back almost 400 years, the “ponies,” which are actually small horses, have long fascinated visitors and residents alike. The publication of Misty of Chincoteague in 1947 brought worldwide attention to the island, which now welcomes about 50,000 visitors each year for the pony swim.
While Marguerite Henry wrote in Misty of the legend of the wrecked Spanish galleon as the origin of the ponies, other theories range from pirates to a wrecked English ship. Many historians, however, contend that the ponies are simply descendants of livestock turned loose on the island by early settlers.
The swim takes place on Wednesday, anywhere from 7am to 1pm, depending on tides, currents and the readiness of the ponies. They are rounded up on Assateague by the fire company’s “Saltwater Cowboys” and swim across the narrowest part of the channel between rows of boats.
The swim is timed to coincide with “slack tide,” as crowds line the streets for their first close-up look at the ponies. The first colt to reach Chincoteague is raffled off as King or Queen Neptune on Wednesday; the remaining yearlings are auctioned the following day. On Friday, the other ponies are returned to Assateague.
If you go to Chincoteague for the pony swim, you could be waiting in your viewing spot for a few hours, so bring plenty of water, snacks, and bug spray. You’ll likely be tromping through marsh mud along the shoreline so wear old, comfortable shoes.
Free parking is available at Chincoteague High School with shuttle buses running continuously. For more information, call the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce at 757-336-6161.
To travel from Ocean City to Assateague Island, take Rte. 50 West over the Harry Kelley Bridge, make a left on Route 611 South, then travel 9 miles to the island. Call the Barrier Island Visitor Center at 410-641-1441. |
