Chincoteague Ponies

A group of feral horses graze in the saltwater marshes of Assateague Island. Two herds of wild horses live on Assateague Island, separated by a fence at the state line between Maryland and Virginia. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd, while the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd of about 150 adult ponies. In order to keep the population within an ecologically responsible size, the Fire Company hosts a popular annual “Pony Swim" the last week of July, where volunteers herd the ponies across the island into pens, and the public bids on the foals.