Assateague Island is a barrier island off the Delmarva Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the United States. Delmarva is occupied by most of the State of Delaware as well as parts of Maryland and Virginia. The Assateague horses form a population of feral horses in the Maryland portion of the island. The term, "feral" refers to the fact that they were once domesticated and reverted to a wild life, rather than being fully wild. They are referred to as the Chincoteague ponies on the Virginia side of the island. The two terms are used synonymously herein.
The pony/horse dichotomy on either side of the island stems from the fact that these animals are shorter in stature than the minimum for classification in the horse category for purposes of competition. This minimum height, while varying slightly from country to country, is approximately 14.2 hands, equal to 147 centimeters or 58 inches.
While it is true that the animals in question do fall below this minimum height, they display other phenotypic features of the horse, such as their temperament and conformation. Their short stature is believed by some to be a consequence of their poor diet from grazing on high-salt plants hardy enough to survive in the salt marsh ecosystem.
According to legend, the animals are descended from a band of Moor ponies that swam to the island from a shipwrecked Spanish vessel, the Santo Cristo, around 1600. The animals were originally en route from Spain to the Viceroy of Peru. Some sources describe the animals as Arabians. Another story is that the animals were released into the wild by a rancher in order to avoid paying tax on the livestock.
The Maryland herd is owned and cared for by the Maryland Park Service and contains about 140 head. The Chincoteague branch of the family, numbering around 130, is owned and cared for by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The animals are physically divided by a fence separating the Maryland side of the island from the Virginia side.
Their charming story was captured in book form in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague." The book was penned by Marguerite Henry in 1947 and made into a film in 1961. The book earned the Newbery Honor. The author wrote two sequels to the original story.
It has been claimed that Misty was foaled in domesticity on Chincoteague Island and not captured in the wild as told in the book. Chincoteague Island, resting entirely in the State of Virginia, is separated from the barrier island of Assateague by a tiny inlet. Misty and her foal, Stormy, are both on display as taxidermy at Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Whether you wish to believe the legend of the feisty swimmers or the more mundane tale of the rogue rancher, the history of the Assateague horses is an interesting one. Their fame has spread all over the country, as testified by the fact that the National Chincoteague Pony Association was established in Bellingham, Washington, in 1980.
The pony/horse dichotomy on either side of the island stems from the fact that these animals are shorter in stature than the minimum for classification in the horse category for purposes of competition. This minimum height, while varying slightly from country to country, is approximately 14.2 hands, equal to 147 centimeters or 58 inches.
While it is true that the animals in question do fall below this minimum height, they display other phenotypic features of the horse, such as their temperament and conformation. Their short stature is believed by some to be a consequence of their poor diet from grazing on high-salt plants hardy enough to survive in the salt marsh ecosystem.
According to legend, the animals are descended from a band of Moor ponies that swam to the island from a shipwrecked Spanish vessel, the Santo Cristo, around 1600. The animals were originally en route from Spain to the Viceroy of Peru. Some sources describe the animals as Arabians. Another story is that the animals were released into the wild by a rancher in order to avoid paying tax on the livestock.
The Maryland herd is owned and cared for by the Maryland Park Service and contains about 140 head. The Chincoteague branch of the family, numbering around 130, is owned and cared for by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. The animals are physically divided by a fence separating the Maryland side of the island from the Virginia side.
Their charming story was captured in book form in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague." The book was penned by Marguerite Henry in 1947 and made into a film in 1961. The book earned the Newbery Honor. The author wrote two sequels to the original story.
It has been claimed that Misty was foaled in domesticity on Chincoteague Island and not captured in the wild as told in the book. Chincoteague Island, resting entirely in the State of Virginia, is separated from the barrier island of Assateague by a tiny inlet. Misty and her foal, Stormy, are both on display as taxidermy at Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Whether you wish to believe the legend of the feisty swimmers or the more mundane tale of the rogue rancher, the history of the Assateague horses is an interesting one. Their fame has spread all over the country, as testified by the fact that the National Chincoteague Pony Association was established in Bellingham, Washington, in 1980.
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