Chincoteague Ponies

Misty of Chincoteague is the title of a 1947 book by Marguerite Henry, based on the life of a real pony named Misty, native to Virginia's coastal island of Chincoteague on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The story is based upon "The Pony penning", which is an annual event that involves rounding up some of the wild ponies who live on nearby Assateague Island for auction as a benefit for the local Fire Department. It features the Beebe family, including a young brother and sister who capture an elusive mare on Assateague named the Phantom along with her foal, Misty.

Misty is a paint pony whose coloration includes a large patch of white on her withers, shaped like the United States. A short film is made about Misty and distributed nationwide; this brings national attention to her and to Chincoteague's potential as a valuable nature preserve.

Possibly due in part to publicity from Ms. Henry's books and the movie, most of Assateague Island was protected from development by the National Park Service and became Assateague Island National Seashore in 1965.

As of 2006, on Virginia's Eastern Shore, the annual "Pony Swim" and auction continues, helping both the community and the herd of wild ponies.

There are two theories of how the ponies came to live on Assateague Island. The legend is that a Spanish galleon wrecked off of Assateague Island and the surviving ponies swam to the island. However, the more likely theory is that early 17th century colonists let their animals loose on the island to avoid the tax on fenced livestock. Whichever theory is true, the wild ponies of Assateague have been living there for hundreds of years.

The Virginia wild ponies are owned by Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The government allows the fire department to keep a maximum of 150 adult ponies in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. For over 80 years the last week in July Pony Penning is held on Chincoteague. The wild herds on Assateague are rounded up, and on Wednesday of Pony Penning week the ponies swim from Assateague to Chincoteague. The wild ponies are held in a pen at the carnival grounds on Chincoteague until they swim back on Friday morning. On Thursday, an auction of most of the foals is held with a few kept as future breeding stock. The proceeds of the auction are used to care for the wild ponies and finance Chincoteague's fire department. A second roundup is held in the fall for a vet check, an informal sale of the foals born after Pony Penning, and the foals sold in July that were too young to be weaned are picked up by their owners.