Delmarva Peninsula lies on the northeast coast of the United States and is occupied by the entire state of Delaware and partly by Maryland and Virginia. The name of the peninsula is formed by parts of the names of these three states. The peninsula is protected from the elements by a barrier island called Assateague Island, home of a feral band of equines called the Assateague horses that escaped domesticity. Residents of the Chincoteague, Virginia, part of the island refer to them as the Chincoteague Ponies. Here, the two terms are used interchangeably.
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 Chincoteague ponies tend to be shorter than the designated height for horses, they display the horse phenotype in other respects. There are those who believe their diminutive stature arises from their poor-quality diet as a result of living in a salt marsh environment. Other phenotypic differences relate to temperament and comformation.
Legend has it that they swam to shore from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon called the Santo Cristo on its voyage to Peru in 1600. They were destined for sale to the Viceroy there. Their origin has been variously described as Moor ponies as well as Arabian horses. The more likely, and less glamorous, explanation is that they were dispatched into the wild by a rancher who did not wish to pay the required livestock tax on the animals.
The herd living on the Maryland side of the island, is owned by the Maryland Park Service and consists of around 140 head. The Chincoteague herd dwells on the Virginia side of the island and is owned by Chinoteague Volunteer Fire Department. This herd numbers around 130. The two herds are physically separated by a fence along the Maryland/Virginia border.
The legend behind this breed of animals, somewhat stodgy in shape due to retention of water from a high-salt diet, was immortalized in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague". The author of the book, published in 1947, was Marguerite Henry, who followed it with two sequels. The legend was brought to the silver screen in a movie called simply, "Misty" in 1961.
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 Chincoteague ponies tend to be shorter than the designated height for horses, they display the horse phenotype in other respects. There are those who believe their diminutive stature arises from their poor-quality diet as a result of living in a salt marsh environment. Other phenotypic differences relate to temperament and comformation.
Legend has it that they swam to shore from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon called the Santo Cristo on its voyage to Peru in 1600. They were destined for sale to the Viceroy there. Their origin has been variously described as Moor ponies as well as Arabian horses. The more likely, and less glamorous, explanation is that they were dispatched into the wild by a rancher who did not wish to pay the required livestock tax on the animals.
The herd living on the Maryland side of the island, is owned by the Maryland Park Service and consists of around 140 head. The Chincoteague herd dwells on the Virginia side of the island and is owned by Chinoteague Volunteer Fire Department. This herd numbers around 130. The two herds are physically separated by a fence along the Maryland/Virginia border.
The legend behind this breed of animals, somewhat stodgy in shape due to retention of water from a high-salt diet, was immortalized in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague". The author of the book, published in 1947, was Marguerite Henry, who followed it with two sequels. The legend was brought to the silver screen in a movie called simply, "Misty" in 1961.
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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