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Assateague Island’s Free-Roaming Horses

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Assateague Island is a barrier shared between two states—Maryland and Virginia, with Maryland having more of it. The island is loved for its lovely beaches, countless species of birds, and, most famously, its free-roaming feral horses. Visitors and those enthusiastic about them have been captivated by their looks and activity. Still, there’s more to these horses than an Instagram-worthy photo.

Mystery in History

The origin of Assateague’s horses, often called “ponies” due to their smaller stature, is shrouded in mystery and folklore. One popular legend suggests that they are descendants of horses that survived a shipwreck. According to this tale, a Spanish galleon carrying horses sank, and the survivors found their way to Assateague, where they established a wild herd. 

Another plausible theory posits that the horses were brought to the island where livestock could graze freely to avoid fencing laws and taxation. Although the ancestors of these horses were domesticated, they have adapted to the island’s harsh conditions and developed the traits necessary for survival in a challenging environment.

Life in a Harsh Environment

Assateague Island demands so much resilience from its inhabitants. It’s warmer than the adjacent mainland in the fall and colder and windier in the other seasons. That’s not all the horses endure, though. Freshwater is also scarce, and sand dunes are present.

Thankfully, their remarkable adaptations help them to survive. They have thicker coats in the winter, which helps them survive the harsh winds. Their diet consists mainly of sand-dune grasses, saltwater cordgrass, bayberry twigs, and other vegetation on the island. There are freshwater ponds around that supply them with drinking water.

Human Interaction and Conservation Efforts

Assateague Island is divided into three areas: the National Park Service-managed Assateague Island National Seashore, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-managed Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and the Assateague State Park, under the management of the Maryland Park Service of the Department of Natural Resources.

The herd is split into two—the Maryland herd and the Virginia herd—and is separated by a fence.

The National Park Service monitors the population on the Maryland side to ensure it remains at around 80 to 100 horses. They use contraceptive vaccines to achieve this, and no mare is allowed to have more than one foal.

The Virginia herd is the famous Chincoteague ponies under the ownership and management of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Each year, the fire company conducts a pony swim, where the horses are rounded up and swim across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague Island.

Then, some foals are auctioned off to control the population and raise funds for the fire company. This tradition, known as the Pony Penning, is a popular event, with around 40,000-50,000 people attending annually.

Written by Castillo Rancon

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