A Brief History of the
There are many "legends" concerning the origin of the ponies. One is that the ponies are descendants of ponies that swam ashore after a Spanish galleon wrecked off the coast of Assateague Island. Another is that the ponies are descendants of the horses put ashore by Spanish pirates. The U.S. Government maintains the ponies descend from domesticated stock that was grazed on the island in the 17th century by Eastern Shore planters seeking to avoid mainland taxes and fencing requirements.
The small stature of the ponies is caused by the limited diet on the island. When the ponies are raised away from the island, they grow to a normal size.
Whatever their origin, ponies have played an important part in the development of the the islands. They were used for transportation and worked up until the early part of this century. Since the 1930s, the ponies have survived storms and diseases. They are deemed by the Federal Government as the only wild herd still grazing east of the Rocky Mountains. Currently, there are two herds of horses on Assateague Island separated by a fence at the Maryland-Virginia Border in the middle of the Island. The Northern, or Maryland herd, is managed by the National Park Service. The Southern, or Virginia herd, is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Southern herd is rounded up each year for the annual Pony Penning and Auction. After swimming across the bay between Assateague Island and the Town of Chincoteague on Chincoteague Island, the ponies are driven down Bunting Road to Main Street and then north to the Firemen's Carnival Grounds,
where they are penned and cared for. After the auction, the unsold colts are driven back to Assateague Island to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge -- to survive another year in the wild.
